


Storm Cloud

by DirectionOfTime



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU post-Pain arc, Changing Relationships, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hatake family history, Hatake secrets, Iwagakure, Kakashi's mother - Freeform, Konohagakure - Freeform, Lost Family Members, Mystery, Ninja Politics, Personal Growth, Romance, Slow Burn, Uzushiogakure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2019-07-02 21:05:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 42
Words: 256,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15804564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DirectionOfTime/pseuds/DirectionOfTime
Summary: After being personally requested for a highly unusual mission, Kakashi discovers some family treasure - and along with it, the fact that he isn't quite as satisfied with his place in life, as previously he thought. KakaSaku.Warnings: nothing major, minor suggestions of sex only, fighting, occasional swears. This is largely a fluffy slow-burn.





	1. Storm Cloud

**Author's Note:**

> I originally began writing this story way back in January 2012 (over on ff.net) where I had intended this to be a winter-time one shot... well, my muse picked this story to start foaming at the mouth over and here I am five years later it a 300k+ fan fic (and no, I'm still not finished lol). I will slowly be transferring this story over to Ao3 in the hopes that it will spur me on to actually finish this story that I love so, so much.
> 
> As I'm sure you've guessed, this fic presumes the Kaguya arc didn't happen (give me a break, it was a long time ago!) nevertheless, I have loved writing this story and I really hope you all enjoy reading it just as much!
> 
> Please leave some comments and let me know what you think! Enjoy~

 

Kakashi could feel himself slipping into a dream, he was almost conscious of the fact he  _was_  dreaming for a moment, but it passed in an instant and he was absorbed in the sights and sensations;  _he was leaping from tree branch to tree branch in the warm morning sun, his feet swift and light as they always had been, but he was young – seven or maybe eight at most – he was highly conscious of the masks fabric over his face, it seeming irritating and cumbersome; he looked down, suddenly very aware he had both eyes, and could see a familiar swish of silvery-white chakra._

_Noticing a presence, he looked back up, right to the gently smiling face of his father, who was crouched on the next tree branch, the smile he wore was the same whenever Sakumo had caught his son during the game they were playing; recoiling for fear of colliding with the elder, Kakashi slammed on the breaks and in doing so skidded off the edge of a branch, his momentum so great that chakra was useless to halt him. He tipped over the edge of the branch and plummeted face first towards the ground, a good ten or so meter drop and the young boy cringed slightly, bracing for an impact-_

Kakashi suddenly jolted as though he'd just stopped himself from falling over or received an electric shock and found himself lying flat on his back, in bed, as his adult self in the middle of the night. Taking a moment to find his bearings, he sat up slowly, the air was cool, chilly on his exposed arms but the bedding was warm, suggesting he'd been asleep for some time, although it felt like mere seconds. He rubbed a hand over his eyes thinking back on the dream, it had been  _off_ for several reasons.

Firstly, his father had died early in his sixth year, long before his seventh birthday; secondly, he and Sakumo used to play a form of hide-and-seek, which doubled as training, when Kakashi was very young, up to the time he became a Chuunin. Thirdly, Sakumo had only smiled in that gentle fashion before Kakashi turned four, (the year during which his mother had finally succumbed to her illness and it claimed her life). Likewise, Kakashi had shown his face just like any other boy – or person – up until half-way through his fifth year, just after the Chuunin exams (so he would have been well used to it by the time he reached seven or eight) when  _that_  fateful mission of his father's occurred and Sakumo's return brought with it a large and hateful storm cloud, inducing torrential flood-rains which lasted for  _months_ , years nearly – after resisting the downpour for a week or two, he caved and a still young Kakashi hid himself and his emotions away beneath a simple loop of cloth.

Kakashi sighed heavily and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, hoping to rid his mind of the disturbingly realistic – although inaccurate – dream, his upper body twisting to look out of the window; the darkness significantly less than what he'd expect for the hour. He could just about make out the thick, wet clumps of snow lazily drifting down – it was a busy snowfall, despite the strangely laid-back appearance of the precipitation.

Pursing his lips slightly, he shifted to lie back down, tugging the heavy duvet back up to block out the cold air as he closed his eyes, hoping to relax himself enough to drift back to sleep – he could feel his fatigue physically but his mind was now awake. He allowed himself to just lie there, content in the dim quiet, the smell and feel of his own home a familiar comfort. His thoughts found their way back again to his father, the man's voice and appearance still in perfect clarity, despite it having been some three decades since he'd set eyes on or spoken to him (disregarding, of course, that bizarre sort-of-after-life-experience having been defeated by Pein a few years ago).

He'd always remembered his father's voice to be deep but unthreatening – not loud or brash – he seemed to command respect just by being present, something which had amazed a young Kakashi and made watching his downfall all the harder. ' _Kakashi-kun, have you summoned Pakkun or the pack recently? He needs regular training if you intend to make full use of him as a ninken_ ,' He remembered distinctly when his father has asked that particular question, the day before he'd left on the mission which proved to be his last.

After that, Kakashi couldn't bear to so much as think about Pakkun without remembering all of the questions he'd planned to ask his father upon his return, questions he ended up asking numerous books (or occasionally Minato-sensei) instead. Eventually, Kakashi fell into a restless sleep, his dreams still disturbed with fragments of memories of his early years – each one slotting together with another, random one, forming scenarios which didn't actually happen.

…

Kakashi sipped the last of the cup of coffee before replacing his mask and moving to slip on his winter sandals with a caped toe, his eye drifting out of the window to see the snow still falling; he sighed lightly before picking up _Icha Icha Taktikusu_  and slotting it into his pouch as he stepped out of the door. He really could have done with another few hours' sleep, but Tsunade had called him and he elected on sacrificing and extra half hour of snoozing for the sake of a hot shower and a cup of coffee.

He slipped his hands into his pockets and schooled his expression into one of benign apathy as he closed the door to the apartment complex behind him; the snow was deep, easily up to his calves and still falling. He really hoped Tsunade didn't want him to for another mission – he'd just returned from a long haul A-rank, away for just over two months; the mission itself was mostly reconnaissance, but he found the time spent away, constantly on the move tiring in itself and he'd hoped for some decent rest in the peace of Konoha. Kicking the compacted snow off his sandals, he stepped into the building and traced his way up the her office, knocking before wandering in,

"Ah, Kakashi, I'm aware you've just gotten back, but a mission request came in a while ago which asks for you specifically…its quite unusual – read the outline," She tossed the scroll to him, which he casually caught and unravelled; as he read it, he couldn't help his eye from widening – of all things,  _this_  had to be the single most  _unlikely_  mission he could possibly ever have been assigned,

"Ah, Tsunade-sama…who requested this mission?"

"I don't know, the scroll just turned up, along with payment and expenses...they've been waiting over three weeks for your return, but the only thing provided was a completion date – which is in about a two weeks,"

"…" Kakashi trailed his eye over the scroll again unable to make sense of it;

"You can refuse the mission, Kakashi, but I thought you'd want a look at it, considering," The Hokage eyed him carefully, "Think over it, you still have the week off, so give me your answer when you're done with your mission report in a day or two," Kakashi nodded allowing the scroll to flip closed and he tucked it into his pouch,

"Tsunade-sama…if I choose not to take this mission, who will you send in my stead?" She watched his guarded expression for a few moments,

"...I haven't decided yet…" Kakashi nodded and bowed just as she dismissed him, he wandered away from her office somehow wishing he'd just given in to his instinct and fallen asleep again after the bird pecked on his window. He found himself back out in the cold street, the snow still falling and his mood now dampened, worse than the uneasiness from the night before; he slouched down and meandered towards the memorial stone.

The village was bustling, most of the ninja were preparing for festivities associated with mid-winter and the civilians were excitable for the unusually heavy snowfall; Kakashi sighed as he dodged a group of young men walking down the street, talking and wildly gesticulating as they went. Although he'd chosen to take himself to the memorial stone, he felt sure it wouldn't make him feel any better – or provide him with the means to find an answer – instead, he thought it more likely he'd end up feeling even worse.

He couldn't quite believe that someone had actually requested such a mission - he might almost have not thought it possible, but then again, he supposed, that it was the similar principle to  _'anything's for sale at the right price_ ' Kakashi involuntarily shivered at the cold blast of air sending a flurry of snow into his face,  _damn winter,_  he looked out over the training ground, looking delightfully ethereal with the deep and as-yet untouched snow.

He stood stock still in front of the stone his eye swiftly finding the names of his old team-mates and instinctively looking for a name he knew would never be inscribed, yet he felt almost belonged there. Kakashi allowed his consciousness of his surroundings to fade out of the forefront of his mind and his eyes stopped seeing the landmark in front of him, instead, he was able only to focus on – for some reason – the feel of his father's hand on his head.

It was quite odd to think about the sensation if he pictured himself as his current thirty-seven year old self.. _.very_  odd... But the memory of that sensation couldn't be any clearer in his mind's eye – even thought a young Kakashi came to scorn his father, in the turmoil of that time, he couldn't do anything but carefully file away all of the positive memories about his father – that was all, it had seemed, even then, that he had left of the great man.

Eventually, he came back to himself with a violent shiver from the cold, although it was barely afternoon, the snow was beginning to let up – the flakes much smaller and fewer in number; the silver-haired Jounin decided that it was probably time for a hot meal of some description and then perhaps a short nap in his warm apartment. He traced the steps back towards the centre of the village, his hands stuffed into his pockets to keep his fingers from freezing; the more he gave it thought, the less he felt like being out in public – for a reason he couldn't immediately put his finger on – and the more attractive a bowl of hot ramen sounded.

He steered himself in the direction of Ichiraku's and just managing to keep his balance as he stepped forward and his foot sank significantly further into the snow than he was expecting, nearly knocking him off balance. Resisting the urge to curse, he yanked his leg out of the drift and the excessive snow on his pant leg beginning to melt and make him feel even colder than he already was. Eventually making his way to the small stand, he was pleased to see that there were a number of empty stools – in fact there was only one occupant,

"Hmm? Sakura?" She turned to face him after he'd pulled her from her daydream,

"Oh! Hello, Kakashi," He slipped onto the stool next to her, noting that there wasn't an empty bowl in front of her, as he'd expected,

"Kakashi-san! What can I get for you?" Teuchi's voice drew his attention,

"A large miso with extra pork, please Teuchi-san," The elderly civilian nodded, his kindly smile in place, just as always, while he turned to busy himself with cooking the meal, Kakashi directed his own attention back to a slightly tired looking Sakura,

"Why are you sat here by yourself?"

"I'm supposed to meet Naruto and Sai here for lunch – they wanted to celebrate my first solo A class,"

"Oh! How'd it go?" Sakura had finally begun to draw some serious respect as a shinobi after her Jounin exam a few months prior – she was well respected before, but as a  _medic_  instead of a fighter; during her exam even Kakashi had been given an eye-opener at her ability wield both her fists and her offensive ninjutsu – coupled with her natural intelligence and gift for genjutsu, she was no half-baked, so-called 'ninja' to be scoffed at.

Previously, Sakura was in high demand by many of the Jounins and more skilled Chuunin for missions due to her unfaltering medical prowess – now, they were falling over themselves to have such an invaluable nin (who could hold her own and cover others  _as well as_  heal damn near anything, be it in a pinch or no). Kakashi felt fierce pride at watching Sakura's Jounin exam, watching how she'd really come into her own and had shown her latent abilities almost none had believed existed – he found a new respect for her that day, looking at how comfortable she was in herself. As she accepted the promotion, she  _looked_  like she belonged there and looked as though she  _knew_  she'd earned it, having long since shed her teenage insecurities – it was refreshing and something well-deserved by Sakura.

"Well, actually, it was something of a shock, not insurmountable, of course...it was more to do with the little things about being on your own, like when you have to stop and rest overnight, having no team-mates certainly put me more on edge and made getting any real rest difficult...it was little things like that – they're insignificant in the planning stage, but the consequences of their disruption can actually be huge," He nodded, completely understanding;

"Aah, the first solo is always the trickiest, I found those sort of issues to be the case, too – first mission as taichou is very much along the same lines, if you're lucky, nothing really goes wrong as a consequence, but sometimes..." He thought back to his first mission as team leader and his words failed him for a moment; she seemed to pick up on his hesitancy,

"...Yes, I was fortunate that it was awkward at worst...but I was glad of the experience, I think; I have a much better idea of what to expect next time," Kakashi grinned amiably,

"Be careful, Sakura-chan, its very easy to get used to doing things by yourself – so much so, that its cumbersome to have to join a team again," Sakura rolled her eyes playfully,

"Somehow, I don't think I'll ever get the chance for that to happen, I'm already scheduled to head out again tomorrow with Genma's team as medic," Kakashi frowned slightly,

"Aren't one of the other medics available?"

"Unfortunately not...there are barely any Jounin medics suitable for missions and the other, lower ranking medic-nins are either needed for the Chuunin level missions or work in the hospital," She explained casually as a bowl of ramen was set in front of Kakashi, he thanked Teuchi and prepared himself to woof his meal down – at strategically the right time, Naruto put in a colourful appearance, which drew both Sakura's and Teuchi's attention enough to allow Kakashi to yank his mask below his chin and quaff his still scalding ramen.

"H-hey, Kakashi-sensei! Long-time, no-see, how've ya been?" Naruto finally took note of the elder nin as he re-set his bowl and chopsticks on the counter, his mask firmly in place,

"Ah, Naruto!" Kakashi rose to his feet, suddenly feeling as though he wanted to be alone again – as well as slightly out of place with the too-noisy-Naruto, "Sorry, but I'm already late for something or other...it was good to talk, Sakura, good luck with your next mission," She offered a warm, amiable smile in return,

"Thanks, Kakashi," He nodded back and waved behind him as he stepped out of the small stand, able to hear Naruto's light grumble at his once-teacher leaving so quickly; as he traced the steps back towards his apartment, feeling infinitely more relaxed as he began to look forward to settling on his sofa with pot of hot tea at his elbow whilst he read the latest  _Icha Icha_  he'd been saving for after his most recent mission.

(The series had been picked up and continued by someone who lived in Water country, and who'd previously been friends with Jiraiya – the late Sanin's publishers were satisfied that Jiraiya really had been a friend of his and that his style was close to that of the late sage, and so had allowed him to take up the  _Icha Icha_ mantle...along with Tsunade's permission (the only remaining Sanin had been disgruntled at the assumption of the publishers that she had been Jiraiya's 'on-again-off-again-hot-tempered-lover' over the course of the years, as he'd apparently alluded to, on numerous occasions – although Kakashi was forced to wonder, sometimes, if her anger was more out of pride than for the sake of the truth.) Still, a new book had been published immediately before Kakashi had been due to leave for his prior mission and it was an extra thick volume, at least twice that of Jiraiya's last and the Copy Nin decided that he'd save the book for when he returned – allowing him to indulgently take his time, rather than to rush it as a result of the mission.)

Still the silver-haired shinobi was pleased that his bad mood seemed to have lifted (must have been a hot meal after all) as he let himself into his apartment building, shivering slightly at the fact that it was freezing (lazy landlord felt no need to heat the inner stair cases and corridors) and the nin darted his way up the flights until he was at his front door and was glad to have it closed again. His morning had certainly been an unsettling one and as much as he wished to hear no more of it, Kakashi was certain that he would not be free of it – for a good while longer.

* * *

Kakashi was once again stood in front of Tsunade-sama, as she gave a cursory glance over his (really quite late) report, she nodded in a few places but quickly set it aside in favour of talking to the report's author, still reluctantly stood in front of her;

"So? Have you decided about the mission, Kakashi?" He nodded firmly,

"Hai, Hokage-sama, I will accept the mission...its no one else's business, after all," Tsunade nodded,

"I was sure that's what you'd say," Kakashi kept his face passive, although the anticipated 'but' was almost deafening, "However, I have assigned you a mission partner for this one,"

"...Why? I can see no reason why you'd think it necessary,"

"The deadline for this mission is fast approaching and you'll need an extra pair of hands for starters, besides, having someone else to keep you on track seemed like a good idea," Kakashi couldn't quite resist his frown of disapproval,

"Hokage-sama, I respectfully request to be allowed to complete this mission by  _myself_ ,"

"Your objection is noted and is something I can more than understand, but ultimately denied."

"Tsunade-sama–!" A sharp knock on the Hokage's door cut across Kakashi protest,

"Enter," The door opened and Sakura stepped in,

"Shizune-sampai said you needed to see me, Tsunade-sama?" A terse moment of silence passed between the two older shinobi before the elder kuniochi addressed the younger,

"Indeed I did, Sakura, I have a mission for you I'm aware you've just gotten back, but this one is fairly local and shouldn't be too physically taxing. Kakashi was assigned this mission initially, but I feel it necessary for him to have a partner and you fit the bill. There's a large house just outside of Konoha which has been abandoned for years, a recent request came in for it to be cleaned up, fit for habitation, expected extra materials have already been sent down there – the deadline is for roughly four days time. I know it seems like an easy mission for shinobi of your calibre, but the client is very well respected and I need to know that a degree of care has been taken, bearing in mind what condition the house's structure may be in after some thirty years of abandonment..." Tsunade paused for a moment or two,

"Sakura, I can't tell you any more about the client, but it is very important that as few people are aware of this mission as possible – I know you know the meaning of discretion and that will be  _key_ here, hence only you two have been called upon...I want this treated as an A rank or higher for all intents and purposes, am I understood?" Sakura nodded sharply, her mind whirring at the possibilities of such a... _strange_  mission;

"Hai, Hokage-sama,"

"Good, Kakashi can give you more information – I want you to be ready to leave within the hour and bear in mind, you may be gone for a few days; dismissed." The Hokage threw a small set of keys to Kakashi who caught them effortlessly and stuffed them into his pouch; they both bowed and left the office, Kakashi tentatively curious at the fact that Tsunade-sama had given away next to nothing...and in fact, gone  _out_  of her way to lead Sakura to assume, inaccurately, what the secretiveness of the mission was for.

"Kakashi?"

"Hmm?" He finally took note of the fact that they were already out of the administration building,

"Should we meet at the main gate in an hour?" Kakashi nodded absently, and Sakura was gone before he could fully register it –  _damn,_ he'd need to stay on guard for this mission, he drifted away, quick to return to his apartment but was fairly slow to pack – his mind lingering over what tactics he'd need to employ over the course of the next few days.

He was late, of course, by almost an hour and a half – not that Kakashi cared – he grinned at the sight of his angry, pink-haired partner (although he couldn't bring himself to genuinely feel the smile, he did so nonetheless),

"You know, Sakura-chan, your threatening expression isn't nearly so scary when your nose is so red..." Her frown deepened, but she ignored him,

"Why are you so late? What could you possibly have been doing that's kept you for so long?" Kakashi shook his head,

"Sakura! I thought Tsunade-sama had said that you  _did_  understand discretion?" Sakura sighed at his condescending tone, "My, my, you kids have such little respect for your elders these days," Kakashi walked away and leapt into the trees, heading as though to follow the perimeter of Konoha's walls, looping back around towards the mountains behind the village; Sakura remained silent as she followed him, wondering what was bothering him – the Copy Nin not usually  _quite_  so patronising.

They ran through the trees for a good half an hour – perhaps a little longer – as they steadily drew closer to the mountain, but didn't run right up to it; Sakura guessed they must have run for a good six kilometres by the time Kakashi dropped to the ground and began to walk. The terrain was bizarre to sat the least – there were only two major routes out of Konoha suitable for civilian traffic (both on foot and for carts and horses) – most shinobi who entered or left the village had no difficulty in taking to the trees for swift and subtle travel; hence there were essentially no small footpaths weaving through the surrounding trees, as one might find in recreational woodland.

Here, however, Sakura noted at least three different footpaths, all roughly parallel with each other, although severely overgrown, they were so well worn that evidence of their once-regular use had not been completely eradicated. Once of the paths had even been recently cutback, free of overgrowing ferns and brambles, as well as having suffered significant trampling; Sakura guessed that this was evidence of the delivery having been made for the 'extra supplies anticipated'. They eventually walked free of the tree-line and came to large clearing – what must have been some fifty odd feet across – and in the centre of which was a large, single story house.

The building itself sat comfortably into the space, without looking to big or small, but was well enough away from the trees that they came just shy of over-hanging the house, nor did it feel too squashed in or swallowed up by the surrounding woodland – whomever had planned this, had done an excellent job. Overall, the house was quite square in shape, and was raised up a good foot and a half or so from the ground, with decking forming a porch or sorts; despite its dilapidated appearance, it managed to look quite beautiful dusted with a few inches of snow;

"Well, this is it..." Kakashi's typical apathetic tone returned as he looked over to see a few stacks of wooden beams lined up near the house as well as a large crate sitting by their side; "Lets take a cursory look at the house first and then divide up the jobs," He walked forward as he spoke and Sakura had to jog a little to catch him up, he stepped up and onto the decking before lifting the keys from his pouch and fitting the correct one into the lock, sliding back the solid wooden fusuma before doing the same for the more typical paper and wood one behind it.

He stepped in and felt the boards creak beneath his feet – the interior dull and dark, dust motes fluttered, at the slightly breeze, around in the slivers of light the open door had produced; the house smelt musky and overrun with nature – a number of scuffles and squeaks told of residents – of one form or another – and a few leaves littered the floor in places. Immediately after the front door, the corridor ran perpendicular – meaning one had to go either left or right, Kakashi gestured to his left,

"Go and see what state the kitchen is in, would you?" Sakura nodded and did as he asked whilst the Copy Nin veered right, soon disappearing around the corner; Sakura stepped through the open doorway and into a large kitchen, at the far end, another door was located and running the length of the right hand wall was a window. Squinting slightly, she pushed back the blinds and allowed light to creep into the room – it also allowed her to see why one was forced to choose which direction they went in when entering the house – for an ornamental garden was situated right in the middle – as though the house were a hollowed square with its garden nestled in the centre.

It took a moment for Sakura to tear her eyes away from the view and look back over the kitchen, a cursory glance through each of the cupboards was quite revealing, unlike what she'd been expecting, they were completely bare – no foodstuffs at all; the only contents of some of the shelves and cupboards were dishes and some cutlery. It struck Sakura as fairly odd that someone would think to clear out all of the food and perishables, but  _not_  take any crockery with them, likewise with the furniture – there were a few ornaments dotted around and a table with zabuton around it...whomever had been the last to leave the house, apparently only took what they could carry.

Kakashi slid the fusuma closed again on the bedroom, the futon was still laid out and the sheets a little crumpled on it; he moved to the next, adjacent room and it was almost the complete opposite, essentially bare, the smaller futon carefully rolled and set aside and the sheets folded and resting on the shelf above. Kakashi stepped out of the room again and found himself in front of the third door, hesitating – originally a third bedroom, but since there had been no second child, Sakumo had made it his study-

"Kakashi?" Said shinobi, stepped back from the unopened doorway and turned to face the kuniochi who was walking down the hallway towards him, however, just as she turned the corner, the wood began to give way beneath her foot fall and she had just enough momentum to throw herself forward onto her hands and flip over, clear of the fracturing wood, so as not to fall right through. Kakashi took the opportunity to walk down the hall, closer to Sakura and swiftly deflect any question of his actions;

"Well, looks like we've found the most urgent problem,"

…

They'd been at the house for two days and the majority of the work had been completed; they'd worked mostly separately and even when they were together, Sakura had refrained from asking too many questions. Although Kakashi couldn't be sure if it was because Sakura had guessed the mission was a good deal more personal than a perfunctory glance suggested or because she hadn't seen through anything and hence had no  _reason_  to plague him with queries.

As glad as Kakashi was that she hadn't prodded too much, the Copy Nin had still been rather on edge – it was still a somewhat precarious situation, where Sakura could find out just what the mission was really about at any time and fire a barrage of questions at him...and then somehow make a mockery of all he'd worked hard to achieve – and forget – over the years.

As usual, they rose early on the third day – Kakashi made his way to the kitchen and set the kettle over the lit kamado [traditional fire used as stove]; (although the place was too old and too out of the way for any electricity, at least, without calling in skilled contractors to hook up (and update) the house for them, thankfully a submerged stream ran close by the house and it was not too much effort to re-divert the flow to have water again running through the plumbing – of course, all water had to be boiled before it could be drunk or otherwise ingested, but it was a small price to pay for having running water at all.) The water for tea had almost boiled and the pot of rice nearly cooked before Sakura put in an appearance,

"Morning..."

"Good morning...are you feeling well rested?" She grunted lightly, morning was not her most favourite time of the day, "We have the garden to tackle today and I suspect it will be the biggest task...the two bedrooms need setting out with fresh bedding – and the zabutons in the kitchen and living room need replacing and covers put on them, do you think you could do that whilst I see to the last room, then we can tackle the garden together?"

He set the pot of brewing tea on the table, as Sakura nodded, hoping through the minor tasks of making beds would give her back a rest (gardening was known for it back- _unfriendly_  nature) – they'd spent the entire previous afternoon cleaning and repairing the roof – it was dire in some places, but overall, not quite as bad as one might have expected and between them and their respective strength, they could lift and replace the rotten beams. Some of it was very awkward work, however – crouching for hours on end whilst cleaning moss and weeds off the tiles and beams was back-breaking. It was inefficient to sit whilst doing it for one had to move slowly but near constantly, but it was just enough to make the back ache with fatigue at being cramped in the same position for just a bit too long;

"Hai, I'm happy to do those," He set the pot of rice on the table and two bowls, chopsticks and hiashi as they both began breakfast.

Kakashi gave nothing away as he walked slowly down the hall – the planes of fusuma having been removed to allow fresh air through the house (as they would normally be in summer) the partition between the corridor and the garden having been removed allowing the ornate and somehow intimate feel of the house to be returned. Kakashi subconsciously hesitated as he reached the door of his father's study – and the place where his father perished. The silver-haired shinobi had put off returning to it ever since he'd come across the morbid and bloody scene initially; he heard Sakura's footsteps approaching and he darted inside the room, sliding the door closed again silently, his eye closing automatically –  _damn him! –_ he breathed slowly out in an effort to calm himself –  _why was he so scared?_

Its not as though he'd opened his eye to find the body still there, or even any trace that a body had ever occupied the space...damn...he allowed his eye to open, his gaze falling immediately to the tatami mat beneath his tabi [socks] covered feet, he lifted his eye as more of the room became visible to him, directly ahead the low desk was still set out, dotted with papers and sheets directly beneath the window, which had been covered by a thick, well fitting blind to keep out the light. On the right wall a large, wide tansu [chest] stepped its way up the wall – dominating the room with its deep, rich keyaki [elm] wood colour, but was of very traditional style...it still seemed as huge and imposing as Kakashi remembered.

The Copy Nin found himself stepping forward, up to the low desk – complete with zabuton still sat in front of it – the room was too dark for the nin to make out anything the documents said, reaching up he tugged away at the blind, pulling it from its battened edges, allowing him to roll it up. The room again flooded with light and the Copy Nin's eyes fell down to the desk, crouching to get a better look, immediately spotting the top most paper, apparently addressed to  _him._

_That looks like...Minato-sensei's writing..._  Kakashi remembered, now, that Minato had come to his aid first after Sakumo's fall; his sensei had taken him to his home (Kushina had been there, he vaguely recalled, she'd made him tea to calm him and did her best to comfort him, but all Kakashi could do was focus on trying not throw up as he so desperately wanted to do) before the soon-to-be Fourth returned to the Hatake residence deal with what had happened – Minato had later suggested Kakashi might go back, after a few weeks, to confront with himself what had happened but the then Chuunin had refused. As soon as the Third had allowed him back on active duty, the bitter son of White Fang had taken the first six-month mission he could get his hands on and put even the vaguest suggestion of returning to the house completely out of his mind.

It had never occurred to Kakashi that there might be something there waiting for him, aside from the bad memories.

…

Sakura sighed lightly as she slid the second bedroom door open, before stepping inside, her arms full of sheets – she set them aside on the floor next to the futon, a fresh one Kakashi had brought in the day before after they'd replaced the tatami matting on the floor. Sakura quickly slipped the bottom sheet onto the low bed, whilst it was usual for a futon only to be set out as one was preparing for bed, Kakashi had made mention that since their client was likely to have been travelling for a long time – and they would leave before he arrived – it would be hospitable to make the beds up before they left.

Just as she was walking back from picking up the fresh sheets (they were some of the contents of the large crate which had been outside) she'd felt Kakashi's chakra spike suddenly and remain quite tumultuous as he stepped inside the last room – she wasn't sure what had gotten him so on edge, but he'd been as such throughout the entire mission. She was literally bursting with numerous questions about the old house, but her intuition told her that out right asking would get her nowhere – or, worse, close Kakashi off and prevent her from ever finding out the truth; the best she could do, she guessed, was to play it cool and try and bring up the topic as naturally (and un-pressured) as possible, so that Kakashi might be more amenable to answering.

She stepped back and lifted the far corner of the bed to slip the sheet over it and did the same for the adjacent corner before pushing the entire futon back against the wall into its original position; she leant down to finish hook the sheet over the bed and rose to her feet, fitting the kakebuton [thick duvet] into its cover and spreading it out the the bed as well as a second, thick mōfu [blanket] – the winter being severe for a non-electrified house.

Swiftly doing the same for the pillow, she straitened up the edged and smoothed a few crinkles from the fabric before she paused a moment, the only sound she could hear, apart from occasional swaying of trees, was the intermittent footfalls of Kakashi and the slight rustle of papers...

His chakra was still swirling and ebbing, for a man usually so calm, it was really quite disturbing to sense him so on edge. Sakura walked from the second bedroom and slid the fusuma closed behind her, turning, the weather caught her eye – it had obviously been snowing fiercely for the past few hours and there was a thick blanket covering the garden, all but the largest plants had been obscured by the snow.

It was still falling incessantly in large, wet clumps and visibility was reduced to near zero – despite this, the view from the open corridor was quite wonderful and Sakura could imagine someone finding real rest in such a calming place...if there weren't so many ghosts seemingly attached to the place. She didn't want to disturb him, but she doubted he was aware of the weather (and how much it threw a wrench into their plans), if his distracted chakra was anything to go by, she sighed a little and walked slowly down the hall towards the elder, silver-haired shinobi;

"Kakashi?"

…

He lifted the small sheet of paper up between insecure fingers, his eye taking a moment to focus on the text,

_Kakashi,_

_I rescued a few documents from the Uchiha Police – they wanted to take almost everything for analysis and eventual storage – but I couldn't allow that. I'm sure that looking at these things of your father's is the last thing you want to do, so at least keep them safe – its probably hard to imagine now, but one day, these will become very important to you._

_Try not to hate your father, he was a remarkable man – and I hope one day you will be able to see it._

_Minato-sensei._

Kakashi crouched down as he replaced the letter, a strange regretful anxiety gnawing at him as he saw two scrolls – in their own solid, bamboo cases – large ones, he lifted the first and unravelled it an arm's length – it was the Hatake family tree. Apparently, his name was far older than Kakashi had ever guessed...the scroll wasn't finished either. Sakumo was about third from the end, himself being an only child, his wife written in next to his name and Kakashi immediately below, where the names ended...there would be space for Kakashi to write in the name of his own wife and whatever progeny he may produce with her, were such a thing to happen –  _unlikely!_  Kakashi thought penitently. On the reverse side, was the same crest repeated at intervals, that of the Hatake name, Kakashi supposed.

He set it down and picked up the second scroll, unravelling it too, where, he found, it was the family tree of his  _mother's_  side – Kakashi was surprised to learn that she too was shinobi and originally from Rock,  _probably explains why manipulating the doton element came so naturally after lightening, then._ He looked further down the scroll seeing that her family was a good deal younger than Sakumo's, but was apparently part of a clan...it wasn't a name Kakashi recognised,  _Urushima_  he guessed they must have died out at some point, or the name lost through marriage.

Kakashi remained crouched looking over the strangers' names, somehow fascinated by the insight into his family, one he'd always assumed went back no further than a generation or two. He carefully re-rolled the scrolls and set them aside, looking for the next treasure,

"Kakashi?" Sakura's tentative voice sounded from just beyond the fusuma, he rose to his feet and walked over to the door, sliding it open, "I'm sorry to disturb you, but the snow's really built up...the garden's almost buried," He stepped out and slid the door closed behind himself so as to get a look, he nodded,

"Hmm, there really isn't much we can do in this...at least, not until the snow fall has actually ceased...we'll probably have to wait for tomorrow...go and get some more fire-wood, will you? We can't risk running out," She gave him a curious look, but nodded,

"Hai," She turned and was gone quickly, Kakashi took the opportunity to retrieve his backpack from the living room and he darted back to the study to absorb himself in the retained documents – he hoped there was a photograph, the only one he'd seen of his mother had been when he was still about five and the memory was fuzzy – he couldn't seem to pick out the details. He flipped through a few more documents one, curiously, stating the ownership rights to the house – which in his parents' stead, fell to Kakashi...

Initially, the silver-haired shinobi hadn't questioned the mission, since property within Fire, which has not had anyone claim ownership for over three decades, became public property – in the sense, anyone could then buy it. The law was very old and something of a relic from the times when there were no ninja villages and instead clan boundaries marked allies from enemies – thirty years was considered more than enough time for a clan to die or be scattered enough that such a home was no longer necessary (or, likewise, for a child to become an adult and ascend the head of the clan).

Kakashi began to really wonder just who had requested this house...whomever it was must have been well aware of who'd lived here before and that it had been just over thirty years since White Fang's passing. The fact that the deed had now been 'found' placed ownership squarely on Kakashi...but where did that leave both him and the requester of this mission? The answer, it seemed, would arrive along with his client.

Kakashi continued to look through the documents some he recognised – he couldn't help the grin that appeared at the sight of one very old scroll that his mother had drawn for him, years and years ago, it was an  _emakimono_  [picture scroll] and told the tale of Hanasaka Jiisan ['old man who made the flowers blossom'] – a folktale telling of an a good man who, following the instructions of his dreams, was able to turn rice into gold and even have the  _sakura_  bloom – but following each dream and the old man's subsequent actions, his evil neighbour thought he could do the same and would steal the items the kind man made – but with them, the evil neighbour could only create horrid things and could only destroy instead of create.

Eventually, of course, the evil neighbour was banished and happiness ensued, but the story had sparked his own imagination when he was just old enough to make sense of it, remembering the pleasure he derived from first realising he could follow the story unaided. He thought he'd forgotten this scroll, but was glad to find it again. Setting it carefully aside, he looked through the remaining items and, much to his delight, a photograph of a couple dressed formally in kimonos was included – his parents, he supposed – turning it over, it read:

_Hatake Sakumo, 29_

_Hatake Eiko, 19_

Kakashi was surprised that his mother was so much younger than his father...but then again, maybe he shouldn't have been; women marrying young wasn't exactly unheard of, but rather, significantly less common now and probably then, too, especially for ninja. The photograph was in black and white, but it was well taken – Sakumo was stood just behind his wife and slightly to her left, with his right hand on her waist and his left resting on his hip; his smile was unashamedly happy and proud somehow. His mother was dressed very formally, she stood about a head height shorter than Sakumo – her smile was happy, too, excited even – perhaps this was taken the day they got married?

The last item was a large book, roughly twice the size of an  _Icha Icha,_ Kakashi opened the first page to find it filled with hand writing – his father's handwriting. The date at the top of the page signified the first entry had taken place nearly six years before Kakashi had been born. He was desperately curious to read it, but decided it would be better to save it for when he returned to his own apartment and would not feel rushed for time or privacy, he slotted all of the other sheets into the pages of the diary (including Minato's note) to prevent them getting crumpled on the return journey to Konoha.

Satisfied they were protected enough, he slipped it and the three scrolls into his backpack and set about carefully searching the large tansu for anything else of interest. The chest was mostly empty, but for a few random items such as a dried up ink well or a rusted kunai; just as Kakashi had come to the last few panels (his memoreis of other tansu usually possessing at least one obscure hiding place); tucked away at the side, was a large, narrow slat that lifted off the side to reveal a final, hidden compartment.

In this, was, firstly a very large and no doubt very old bottle of what appeared to be rice baijiu – a distilled rice spirit – he carefully lifted the bottle out, finding it to be full; another piece of paper fell out, too – a second photograph, this time with Kakashi himself in it, he must have been about a year then.

The composition was similar to that of the first one, Sakumo stood just behind his wife, with his right arm securely around her and his left hand on top of Kakashi's head as Eiko was holding him up – Kakashi only had a suspicious frown on his face though, apparently disliking to be photographed even then,  _not that that's changed,_  he thought, wryly – his parents expressions were similar too – smiles which told of happiness and pride. Turning it over again, names and ages were again, helpfully written;

_Hatake Sakumo, 33_

_Hatake Eiko, 23_

_Hatake Kakashi, 1 year, 5 months,_

Kakashi set the photograph carefully with the others before reaching his hand into the space again to check for anything else, it was empty and Kakashi was about replace the bottle, but decided against it, he re-slotted the panel back, looking as though he'd never touched it. The Copy Nin quickly removed all of the remaining items from the tansu and carried everything from the room, placing his backpack, first, just where he'd left it in the living room (certain Sakura wouldn't touch it) and carried the other random items and the bottle to the kitchen, where he found Sakura and a roaring fire. He welcomed the warmth it brought and, somehow, Sakura's equally warm smile (and still red nose) eased him,

"Planning on a party?" She gestured to the bottle in his hand,

"Hmm? No. Well, not really, I just found this unopened, full bottle and it seemed silly to leave it there..." He handed it to her as she looked at it,

"Rice baijiu? Nice, I haven't had a glass of this stuff in forever," Kakashi had just thrown the last junk into the bin before he turned to her with his eyebrow raised, as she yanked out the stopper and took a sniff, "Smells good..." She looked up to catch his expression, "Oh! Sorry, you don't mind, do you? There are some saké bowls in the cupboard behind you," She sat down at the table, and Kakashi did as asked, fetching the bowls; maybe he should have been more bothered at the thought of this possibly being his father's stash of alcohol – and that he was about to drink it years later with a mission partner, but somehow, it just did not feel that strange. He sat down on the zabuton on the opposite side of the table;

"How long do you suppose its been here?" She eyed the liquid as she poured Kakashi out a cupful, he then took the bottle and did the same for her,

"Thirty years, at least," Sakura nodded as she raised her cup, as did Kakashi, they shared a small toast before knocking the liquid back in one, Sakura just about managed to handle it, but Kakashi almost choked, the stuff was so potent it nearly brought tears to his eyes; he coughed a little as Sakura grinned at him, pouring him another,

"Its got a nice kick, hasn't it?" She rose to her feet, and rummaged in one of the cupboards, pulling out a large bag of spicy hanabero [tomato flavoured potato rings] she opened them and immediately ate one, "Its funny, I always pictured you as a spirits man," Kakashi nodded,

"So did I," He responded plaintively, looking at his full bowl, wondering if it was wise to drink more...or if it still classified as a spirit;

"What are we going to do about the garden? The snow has somehow gotten worse over the past hour and even if it were to stop now, we're still looking at over a foot of snow to deal with and, to my knowledge, no shovels," Sakura allowed her gaze to fall out of the window, before she looked back to find Kakashi pouring her another cupful of baijiu,

"There's a small shed in the corner of the garden, there should be at least a spade we can use,"

"Oh?" He missed Sakura's feigned surprise as his mind drifted to the larger picture,

"Kuso,"

"What's wrong?" He threw back a gulp of alcohol, and swiftly replaced his mask before Sakura could see,

"If the snow is this persistent, then our client is likely to struggle with getting here...unless he's shinobi, but that seems unlikely," Sakura looked curiously at him,

"Why would that matter? I was under the impression that as soon as our work was complete then we'd be leaving whether he was here or not...he only gave a completion date, didn't he?" Kakashi poured himself another bowlful,

"...N-never mind," He tried to dismiss, but Sakura wouldn't hear of it,

"Don't normally slip up this much, do you?" He froze, before slowly lifting his eye to hers, before sighing lightly, but choosing not to answer, "Tsunade-sama didn't send me in as blind as she had you believe, you know,"

"What? What are you talking about?" He queried, meeting her gaze again,

"She didn't tell me anything outright – she said it was for you to tell me...whatever that meant, but she also told me to keep an eye on you, that you might find this mission... _difficult_ ," Kakashi sighed, averting his eyes back down to the suspension of liquid in front of him, unsure how to respond. "This was your house, wasn't it? Years ago and you haven't been back all this while," He shook his head slowly, raising the cup to his lips and pulling his mask down to take a sip, careful to angle his hand so as to keep most of his face still covered, even though she respectfully averted her eyes, anyway;

"After my father... _died_ , I hadn't realised the house fell to me...in Konoha if a house is unclaimed by one of rightful ownership for thirty years, then anyone can buy it...I didn't realise the deed was still here which clearly states me as successor, so we'll have to wait for the client to show up and sort this out," She nodded carefully,

"Will you keep the house, or give it up?" He met her eyes again,

"I...hadn't really thought about it, I was going to wait and see who the client was and what he had to say,"

"Are you comfortable with the idea of someone else living here?" He looked momentarily confused, "Now that you've come back, for the first time in decades, are you really happy to leave it again?"

"I...don't know..."

"Let me put it this way, would you ever consider living here, yourself?" Her expression was passive, but with a hint of curiosity – it was so unpressured he felt able to focus on the question,

"...By myself? No, I'd doubt it – it wouldn't feel... _right_ ," It felt too much like he'd lived here alone in his childhood, she sipped from her bowl again,

"Then, if you had someone to live with, do you think you'd  _want_  to move back here?" He took a deep breath – the idea of living with someone else – someone he'd  _want_  to, was never a factor in his life, before now;

"I can't really say...there's no one I'm comfortable with telling about this house and its history but they would have to know if..."

"Are you able to imagine how you'd feel if you wanted to live here again, but someone else had already moved in?" Kakashi took another slow slip if baijiu, considering his response, but none came. He rose to his feet, instead,

"Excuse me a while, Sakura-chan, I think need some air," He walked away, out of the kitchen and back down the dark corridor until he could step outside and he lowered himself to a seat on the raised platform; the air was freezing, but he hoped it would clear his head.

It didn't.

As he sat in the cold, only feelings of regret that he'd left it so long before returning attacked him, regret and shame that he hadn't listened to his sensei all that time ago – that he would have left the final memories of his parents to rot in the woods – or worse yet, disturbed by strangers who would care nothing for their memory. He slouched a little more as he tried to focus on Sakura's question, but it wasn't easy, there  _was_  some part of him that felt he couldn't walk away from the house again, as though if he did, it would be just another betrayal.

His thoughts were as scattered as the snow falling, one minute he just wanted to leave and forget the mission ever occurred at all, and another part of him mourned what might have happened had the mission never been requested. He wasn't used to feeling so unsettled and undecided; he could feel himself begin to shiver from the cold, the snow now reaching up to the level of the raised walkway which rimmed the sides of the house inside the square of the garden; Kakashi himself would soon be buried if he didn't move, but he just couldn't seem to find the energy–

"Kakashi," Sakura appeared, crouched beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Come inside, I've made something to eat and you need to warm up, you're not even sat on a zabuton! A cold is one of the few things I can't do anything to treat, you know," He turned his head to catch her gaze, it mirrored the gentle levity in her tone and he couldn't help but feel the worst of the weight lift from his chest, she rose to her feet as he did the same. She replaced the fusuma to block out the worst of the winter weather and led him back towards the warm kitchen and hot meal (it was only ramen, but a comfort nonetheless).

The only conclusion he managed, that night, was that if he ever  _did_  return to live in his old family house, he could not bear to do so alone.

* * *

It was afternoon before they'd realised it; they'd arisen early and were thankful to see the snow had stopped falling, after clearing a path from the front door, out to one of the paths which lead off into the surrounding woodland, they began work on the garden. Kakashi didn't answer her silent question – if he planned on clearing up the garden now, did that mean he planned to give the house away? She guessed his need to simply be occupied and didn't push.

They'd managed to clear a lot of the snow away and away at the dead plants and plant matter, to leave the mostly clear soil – nothing new could be planted until spring, anyway. There was a well-established maple in the centre of the arrangement, which, after a little pruning, was left to itself – it was still going strong and there was no reason to remove such a beautiful tree. Likewise, Kakashi thought, for the evergreen shrubs which didn't look too worse for wear and again after a little, careful pruning to rid them of the excess branches, which ruined the aesthetic, (but would not harm the plant) they would be a good addition to the garden.

Kakashi had just called an end to the work – anything remaining would have to wait until the snow melted anyway – when they were called upon by a visitor. Kakashi eyed him somewhat suspiciously, (unbeknownst to anyone but himself of course) for why a man as old as the guest would have come so far in such atrocious weather; he stood at the front door with Sakura just behind him, herself looking carefully at visitor,

"Hmm...you must be Hatake Kakashi-kun, am I correct?" The elderly man eyed Kakashi carefully as a kindly smile grew on his face, "You look so much Sakumo-san! Well, I'd imagine so if that mask wasn't in the way...not some act of youthful rebellion is it?" Sakura couldn't quite catch herself fast enough and a loud snort of laughter escaped her – drawing both men's attentions – before she could press her lips to her clenched fist and look down, trying to quell the laughter; when she dared herself to look back up, she was met only with Kakashi's unimpressed glare which nearly sparked a fresh wave of amusement and the kuniochi had to fight for control.

Kakashi ignored Sakura for the moment, and turned back to their 'guest', "May I infer from your comments, that you were a friend of my father's?" He began, politely, the older man nodded before shivering,

"Almost, I was a student of his...a long time ago...may I come in? We have much to discuss, Kakashi-kun," The silver-haired shinobi nodded and stepped aside, allowing the stranger to enter before Sakura led him into the kitchen, she didn't sit down, however, after showing the visitor a seat, she waited for a moment,

"Kakashi, would you like me to..?" He shook his head,

"No, its alright," He gestured for her to sit, before he set the pot of water on the stove to begin boiling, the elderly man waited until he had Kakashi's attention before he began,

"My name is Fuukima Isaski...I am a monk and I spend a great deal of time meditating at the Temple of Fire...I grew up in Konoha and had begun to train as shinobi and was set under Sakumo-san's guidance when I became a genin...he helped me though, he was a father to me when I had not previously known one...he helped me decided that I would have been far better suited to life as a monk rather than as a ninja,"

The man smiled lightly and unassumingly as he raised his eyes again to meet Kakashi's, "I had visited him here, in this house a long time ago, just before I left to commence my training as a monk, when he had only just married his wife – he was very lucky to have a wife as beautiful and intelligent as she! But then again, Sakumo-san always did have excellent eyes...I heard news of his sad demise only long after it had occurred – I regret deeply that I had not been around to help him...

"I listened carefully too, to hear that his only child had grown up to become a respected ninja in his own right...I listened, as well, for news on the house, to see if you had taken over your father's legacy...he built this house, you know...he loved carpentry, he said it was in working the wood that he really found peace," Isaski fell silent for a few moments, allowing the room to digest what had been said, "Considering the state of this house before I requested this mission, am I to assume that this is the first time you have returned here, since being a boy?"

"Hai. You said, Isaski-san, that you  _requested_  this mission?"

"Indeed I did...none of the records of Konoha have found a deed slip for this house and if no one else wanted to live here, I had hoped to take ownership,"

"Aah, about that, I found the deed slip in my father's study – it clearly states that the house had fallen to me after my father's death," Isaski smiled and nodded in understanding,

"Excellent, excellent... I had thought that if the deed could not be found, then it would be at least appropriate for his progeny to collect the last of his effects...although," He looked over to Sakura, who'd been quiet, sat beside Kakashi, but listening intently to the two men, "I did not expect for you to have a companion...you are?"

"Haruno Sakura," She dipped her head slightly, in politeness;

"Ah, Sakura-san must be very important to you, hmm?" That shocked them both;

"Ah! No! Well, not like that, at least, our Hokage felt it necessary to assign me a mission partner...she chose Sakura to accompany me," Isaski eyed them both carefully,

"Tsunade-sama is a wise woman, I think," Kakashi, uncertain how both to interpret and respond to the man's comment, rose to his feet to fetch three tea cups and a pot, as well as loose leaves, before he returned to the table and set a cup in front of both his guest and Sakura, he set about brewing the tea before returning his attention to Isaski,

"Isaski-san, do you still want to live in this house?" The elderly man looked carefully at Kakashi – and didn't fail to miss Sakura's slight frown of concern, either – he took his time in answering,

"Where I live, does not matter to me, Kakashi-kun and I think it would be a better honour to your parents' memory if you took this house and began a family of your own." Kakashi couldn't stop his eye widening slightly and the words 'fat chance' were on the tip of his tongue, but Isaski seemed to read ahead of him, "Do not be so quick to dismiss the idea, Kakashi-kun, it takes a great many years for a man to settle into himself but a time will come where you are not content to be alone any longer," Kakashi didn't speak for a long while after, and they fell into a slightly crisp silence;

"Isaski-san, why did you come here early? The deadline for the mission to be completed is tomorrow,"

"Hai, I am aware of that, but I wanted to meet with you and see if being here might change your opinion on the past," Kakashi drank the last of his tea and rose to his feet, Isaski did the same, "I have spent a long time travelling today, is there somewhere I might rest?" Kakashi nodded but said nothing, before leading Isaski down the corridor to the first bedroom,

"You may rest here for as long as you wish, Isaski-san,"

"Thank you..." Kakashi bowed politely and excused himself before the old man could say anything more, he headed back into the room they used for a living space to fetch his cloak and returned down the hall, Sakura appearing half way,

"I'm going for a walk...you'll be alright here?" She looked concerned, but whatever they may have been about, she didn't voice them,

"Of course," He nodded and, after slipping on his sandals, was gone in a second – he didn't go too far, only a mile or so, before he climbed a tall tree and sat with his back to the trunk, his mind once again in turmoil. A part of him felt irrationally angry at the busy-body of an old man, who'd managed to make Kakashi feel as though he'd again been going in the wrong direction of his life, like he'd again missed some key lesson somewhere.

Another part of him questioned the validity of who the stranger was, it was all very well for him to tell a few generic tales with the correct names inserted – it wasn't as if he could  _prove_  that he had been Sakumo's pupil or friend...or that he had even known the man by the loosest definition. Kakashi found himself wondering what Sakura would have to say about the turn of events, she seemed to understand so well what had been bothering him before, that he wanted her input now...was he justified in his indecisiveness?

But even if he could ask her, what would he say? He couldn't really articulate precisely what was bothering him...maybe that was half of the problem, he couldn't even  _define_  why the idea of leaving the house behind bothered him, why the old man who seemed to have all the answers put him on edge, why he felt both an urge to remain at the house and flee as though it were on fire.  _Kami, what was he to do?_

He wasn't sure how long he sat in the tree, but eventually he decided that he would keep the house – even if he wasn't going to move in immediately, he didn't think he let it out of his possession. He flew back to the house determined to tell Isaski his decision (before he second guessed it); as he entered the house, silently as always, he was drawn by voices from the living room. He walked over to them, sliding open the fusuma to see Sakura and Isaski sharing a drink over the bottle of baijiu; Sakura was laughing and Isaski smiling in return. Kakashi hadn't even registered the anger he felt as he made his presence known,

"Isaski-san...may I have a word?" He looked over the Copy Nin, as did Sakura; the elderly man smiled again,

"Oh! Kakashi-kun, you're back...did you have a good walk?" Kakashi barely resisted the frown he wanted to issue – for some reason, this man really rubbed him up the wrong way –

"Isaski-san, I've decided to keep the house," That surprised them both, and Kakashi found he was more certain than ever that Isaski would not take the house from him.

"Oh! That's good! I was just telling Sakura-san about how I was going to allow you to take back the house in the future, even if you wanted to give it up here,"

"Hmm, well, I'm sorry to have wasted your time,"

"Not at all! I'm happy that that you father is no longer a source of shame for you,"  _Definitely_  rubbed him the wrong way,

"...He...hasn't been for a long time,"

"Good! It pleases me to hear that he had been forgiven...now, come and join us for a drink!" Isaski stoked the small fire behind him and added another log, Kakashi stepped into the room after slipping his sandals off and tugged his cloak off, setting it down to rest over his back-pack (which  _looked_  as though it had been untouched, but Kakashi couldn't help the slight suspicion of Isaski – no doubt the man would find a way to justify his actions). He stepped over and took a seat next to Sakura – perhaps a little closer than normal, so that although the kotatsu was small, he was still sat ostensibly opposite Isaski, Sakura pushed a saké bowl towards him and poured some baijiu into it, Kakashi then took the bottle from her and refilled her bowl and Isaski's; he raised his saucer,

"I hope this house will serve you well, Kakashi-kun," Kakashi half-heartedly raised his bowl again disliking the man's tone – who was he to assume Kakashi's future? He was fast approaching forty – ancient, nearly, so what woman would want him now? What woman – that he found attractive and could see potential in – would see the same in him? Besides, if he had his choice, he would only really consider kuniochi and that already limited him severely...wait, why was he even considering this? He was quite content with his life, thank you very much; he had his own place, peace and quiet and when even that wasn't enough, he could come here for some real peace – spending more than a few hours anyone was usually enough to grate on him so the chances were, he was wasting his time even thinking about it.

That night as he and Sakura slept on their bedrolls in the living room, close to the still burning fire (Isaski having taken one of the bedrooms) he found himself watching his pink-haired partner, although she was asleep. Did she have any desire to marry one day? Was she content with her life and didn't feel as though it had to be validated by another? Kakashi had no idea – at one time she probably had done with the now-gone Uchiha heir, but what about the current Sakura? She'd probably shed the worst of the youthful delusions but it might not mean she'd lost the basic desire...still, Sakura was independent and proud that her accomplishments were her own, perhaps she wasn't – and never would be – ready to give up the freedoms of single life.

Kakashi found it difficult, too, to imagine Sakura marrying anybody – he found it very difficult to imagine another man swooping in and stealing Sakura's attentions; she shifted, suddenly and rolled over to face him...she was certainly an attractive woman, surely she would not remain alone forever.

* * *

He wanted to deny it, he really did, but he couldn't lie to himself as easily as he could to others; he was lonely.

It had been about a week since he and Sakura had left the house and said goodbye to Isaski; Kakashi had yet to go back, but was planning on it soon. He'd been reading his father's diary, though, and it was fascinating to watch the progression from a man content with his place in life and his missions to – after a long mission with his future wife, Eiko – realising that he was no longer satisfied in his solitude. He had his concern over her being so young, but he held that his respect for her was certain – on and off the battlefield – and that he could trust her to make the right decision for them both.

Most of the time, Kakashi had felt quite listless – unsure what to do with himself – as he took to taking long walks through the village, although he didn't quite know that he was searching for. The snow was still falling although it wasn't quite as ferocious as the week before and he found it almost pleasant to be out in – that and Konoha was now pleasingly decorated.

It was the mid-winter festival (which was generally run by the civilians performing parades and dances in traditional kimonos) most of the village made an effort to dress up and contribute one way or another – winter often meant fewer missions and almost nothing in the way of civilian tourism – which often meant a lot of non-ninja were rendered seasonally jobless.

Still, spirits were significantly raised by the festival and there were many people dotted around in the streets with stalls or performing small shows or dances of their own as Kakashi passed, his posture may have been disinterested and his book open seemingly holding his attention, but secretly, Kakashi was glad of the change of pace and he was observing everything around him. He turned down an alley to join on a parallel and busier street to observe the parade passing, allowing his book to droop as he watched, many civilians dressed wonderfully as they danced and wove through the corridor of people.

"Kakashi!" A familiar feminine voice called out behind him and he turned to face Sakura, dressed in a kimono of her own – he couldn't quite help allowing his eye to drift over her form – he'd never seen her in formal attire before and he'd never imagined it would seem to suit her so;

"Hello, Sakura..."

"Enjoying yourself?" The beginnings of a smile crept onto her face as Kakashi's eyebrows only managed to twitch into a slightly frown as he offered an uncertain 'hmm' return, she broke out into a full grin at his response, laughing slightly, "Somehow, I couldn't imagine you answering with an emphatic 'yes',"

"Well, I am here, aren't I?" She raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile on her face

"...Didn't stumble across it, did you?" He looked distinctly unimpressed,

"Give me a  _little_  credit, Sakura-chan,"

"Hai, hai..." She rolled her eyes playfully, "How've you been this week, anyway?" She lowered her voice in accord to the question,

"Well...I suppose," He offered a casual shrug but she didn't buy it, instead cocking her head to the side slightly as she eyed him sceptically; only then did he bother to note how her hair was pinned up, with only a few wispy bangs framing her face. Somehow, it made her look delicate in a way he wasn't used to associating with Sakura; she suddenly gave an involuntary shiver,

"Brr, its freezing out here...do you fancy going to get some tea at the shushuya?" Kakashi didn't need to think about the answer or even to fake his smile,

"Hai, I'd love to."

..

.


	2. Where Knowledge Rains Down

He leapt back as he blocked the punch and pivoted on his left foot, whirling his right around to collide with the enemy nin's jaw; just as the blow had come into contact, his jutsu had been completed and he threw his left hand forward and driving the densely spinning ball of chakra into the man's skull. The clone, meanwhile, defended against the second nin, blocking the long katana strike, whilst the real Naruto leapt immediately forward and threw his fist to the nose of the second nin; the blonde haired Leaf clearly able to feel the anger rise in him and burn red with its intensity as he pushed harder.

He toppled his opponent, but it didn't stop him, his kicks and punches fuelled by a rage rare, but not alien to him; it began to consume him as he easily dodged the next enemy bearing down on him. He flipped back and charged forward, his chakra beginning to burn his skin as he gave in to his impulses – only the urge to kill, destroy and attack clawing at his psyche, prodding him to strike harder and to crush bone and squash organ – to steal the very lifeblood that gave the bloody pulp below him volition.

_Hate! I hate them all! Kill them! They don't deserve life, they're weak, useless – and yet they mock_ us _, they pity us, they try and tell_ us _that we are the anomaly! Grr! Kill them, kill them all-_ his leg was suddenly forced him to the ground, as was his right arm and suddenly huge clamping vice pinched around his ribs, making him feel like a tiny, pathetic rabbit pinned beneath the jaws of hungry _fox_.

As soon as they'd exploded, the feelings of hatred and anger dissipated and he was left tired, empty, flat on his stomach – feeling as though his physical self was receding along with his emotions. The sharp pinching on his ribs and two of his limbs eased and was soon gone completely, and he forced himself to his hands and knees, panting with the effort.

For Naruto, being taken over by the Kyuubi's will was always a draining experience and left him with the sickening feelings of helplessness and insignificance (although at least now, he could remain conscious for longer than he used to, he still struggled for control) – he rubbed his outside forearm gently as he rose to his feet, turning to face Yamato-sampai, Genma and Inoichi,

"Are you alright, Naruto?" The sebon chewing Jounin grinned (he'd earned himself a promotion about two and a half years previous, finally feeling tired of his 'tokabetsu' status); the blonde nodded, now fully back to himself and realising the real impact of what had happened. "Well, Naruto finished off the last of our pursuers – so I guess that means its homeward bound for us?" Inoichi – the team leader – nodded, his eyes lingering on the jinkuuriki, mildly disturbed by what had happened over the past few moments;

"Yes, let's get back to Konoha," They immediately darted off back towards the land of Fire, Genma and Inoichi ran ahead as Yamato fell into step beside Naruto.

"Its happening more and more often, Naruto – and you seem to be loosing control so much more easily...its just as Tsunade-sama feared. We can't ignore it any longer,"

"I know...I know, Yamato-sampai..."

* * *

Kakashi could swear his arse must be square by now. Seriously square. He couldn't remember how long he'd been sat down for, but as soon as he'd clapped eyes on the tiny stool in the corner of the room full of scrolls, he'd suspected this eventuality. After he'd read every scrap of paper and snippet of information taken from the house for the fiftieth time (and having revisited his house, alone, to discover what else may be lurking that he'd missed before...it was odd and cold back there, alone – he didn't stay long); he began to wonder what else might be hidden in the records of Konoha that he hadn't bothered to check before.

He'd been in the abominably stuffy room for hours and had found next to nothing about his family – other than a record stating Eiko became a citizen of Konoha at nineteen years of age when she married Sakumo. The second second and only other snippet of information he gleaned was that his paternal grandparents became citizens of Fire and Konoha approximately four months before Sakumo's birth.

And that was all.

Literally.

Kakashi couldn't find so much as a vague reference to someone who might even have  _heard_ of Sakumo or Eiko or any Hatake for that matter...it was almost as though no such family had ever existed. Apart from the fact Kakashi himself was sat there reading about how he his family had never really been...unless he'd been lied to his entire life- _no! Don't be stupid!_  He shook his head violently and scrubbed his single visible eye with his palm.

He's been sat in the room too long, he needed to get out into fresh air and daylight again...if there  _was_  still daylight; he sighed and slotted the scroll back into its little alcove and rose to his feet stepping awkwardly over to the door as something nagged at him. What had his sensei said in his note?  _That the Uchiha wanted to take everything for analysis and eventual storage?_

Kakashi sighed lightly and turned back, looking for anything with an Uchiha crest on...still there wasn't much, and the Uchiha were dreadfully secretive, but they were forced to issue official reports when appropriate and he's spotted the Uchiha crest on a number of scrolls.

Continuing his search he eventually struck gold and found a precious  _third_  iota of information; the scroll was a security report on two recent immigrants to Konoha – Hatake Fuyu and his then still pregnant wife, Hatake Umika, had given one story for their reasons to wish to become citizens of the Leaf, although they had been carefully observed fleeing from Uzushiogakure no sato – the Village Hidden in the Whirling Tides.

Although Fuyu had woven a fairly incredible story about – after being pressed for the truth – about how the first shinobi world war had taken its toll on the once prosperous Hidden Village and that a new father such as himself wanted to make a good life for his family in the relative safety of the larger village of the Hidden Leaf. Senju Hashirama had considered it carefully and was a patient man – the Uchiha could not see the disturbed chakra of a liar in Fuyu or his wife, although their chakras did flow a little chaotically, it was no more than one might expect from the flustered and travel worn.

The Senju seemed satisfied and although he had them watched for a time, the Uchiha were more suspicious and kept close tabs on them always – apparently even going so far as make careful notes on Fuyu's movements whilst he worked as a ninja – with exceptional loyalty, they admitted – but the paranoid clan never fully trusted the couple who were one of the last to escape, unscathed, from Uzushiogakure before its destruction.

The Uchiha only accepted the Hokage's decision, apparently due to the curiously strong and unusual chakra demonstrated by their visitors and was something, deemed at the time, that was a resource they couldn't afford to waste – Fuyu apparently demonstrating skills up to at least Jounin level and his wife showing exceptional skills of fūinjutsu [sealing techniques] and chakra recomposition.

_Perhaps_ Kakashi wondered,  _those were the reasons the Uchiha had seen fit to confiscate Sakumo's belongings after his death?_  The Copy Nin couldn't be sure, but of all the clans Konoha had been home to, he trusted the Uchiha the least – finding their innate paranoia and selfish information-hoarding to be contra the foundations of Konoha, which strove for peace and cohesion between its clans – and still did – but that was something the Uchiha had never accepted, or even understood.

(And Kakashi was willing to bet that that was the reason the Senju began to desire to keep the Uchiha out of the more sensitive political areas for fear of their take over and undermining of the village.) Still, it  _was_  a little odd that this information had been separated from their documents noting their status as immigrants, but then again, it wasn't far fetched to think the Uchiha had isolated it on purpose to reduce likelihood that someone with a secret could tamper with all of the information – that would be typical Uchiha anal-retentive thinking.

Now satisfied that he was at least marginally closer to finding something out about his father and his family, Kakashi left the dusty archives intent on taking the long walk back to his apartment before digging out the large bottle of saké he was sure he had put away, somewhere.

It was possible the Uchiha had stored the other information they'd taken from Sakumo and stored it somewhere – like the Uchiha compound – but Kami-sama knows where it might be now...if it hadn't already been destroyed one way or another. But either way, Kakashi was too tired for this now, he needed to relax and think over what he'd already learned – if there was anything else to be found, it was a mission for another day.

* * *

Shizune frowned and exhaled sharply again – for the tenth time in as many minutes,

"What? What?" Naruto asked, doing his very best to remain still, but it was  _not_ an easy task; how could she be so silent about this? She sighed for a final time and removed her hand from his stomach, allowing the blonde to yank his top down again and sit up,

"I'm sorry Naruto, there's really nothing I can do...the seal needs to be re-done and that's all – the patch-ups have done well but its too late for that now," Naruto hopped off the hospital bed,

"So what are we going to  _do_?" Shizune, turned towards the small sink in the corner of the room and quickly washed her hands,

"Tsunade-sama and I have known that this would happen for a long time and I'm certain she's got a plan of action...She'll call for you in a few hours, after I've given her my report – try and take it easy, Naruto," She offered a small smile of reassurance before she left the examination room and hurried over to Tsunade's office – hoping that  _that_  blonde had finally come up with a solution.

"Ah, Shizune, what's your report?" The Hokage quickly slipped the saucer of saké she was sipping from into an open draw and turned her attention to the medic in front of her,

"Not good, I'm afraid – the seal is so weak that I'm not even  _sure_  what's still holding it on. Naruto's always been volatile and he's loosing control ever more easily over minor things, and it won't be long before the fox breaks out entirely and attacks the village – the seal  _must_  be re-done and  _soon,_  before any of our enemies get wind of what's happening and use it, somehow, to their advantage,"

Tsunade nodded resting her cheek on her clenched fist; it was too late to look for other solutions and the sanin's initial idea would have to be the course of action. She didn't like it, but there was no time for tinkering with patchwork solutions any more -

"Summon Yamato, Kakashi, Sakura and Naruto to me," Shizune nodded, and was gone in a second.

"Everybody got that?" Sakura tapped the spot on the map again, "Run a simulation of it through in your mind three times – get the plan in your heads as I won't stand for screw ups, even if we  _could_ afford them-"

"Sakura!" The pink-haired Jounin whirled around to face Shizune dropping to the ground a few feet behind her, "Tsunade-sama wants to see you,"

"I'm about three seconds away from departing on my mission, we can't be delayed!" Shizune shook her head,

"Its urgent Sakura, I'll find someone to take your place, just go to Tsunade-sama's office," The younger kuniochi sighed lightly, unimpressed at having to back out of her mission after all the planning it had taken, but she turned back to her team,

"You're dismissed until I find out what the Hokage-sama wants, don't relax though, I'll call you back as soon as we can leave," The team nodded and disappeared as Sakura turned on her heel and flew to the office of her former master's office;

"There you are Sakura," The kuniochi closed the door behind her as she stepped into the room, with Naruto, Kakashi and Yamato stood in front of her desk, "Now you're all here, I can get down to business – I'm sending you all on a top secret mission – not a word of this is to be breathed to anyone, understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama,"

"Naruto's seal is weakened...in fact, its right on the verge of failure and if that happens, the Kyuubi will be break free and wreak havoc again. The seal needs to be redone, but there's no one in Konoha who is skilled enough will fūinjutsu – let alone the Eight Trigrams seal Naruto possesses – its state is such that the 'key' Naruto has is no longer effective and the basic seal which initially imprisoned the Kyuubi must be re-cast.

"To that end, I am sending you four to go and attempt to discover more about the seal and attempt to obtain enough information that we can perform the sealing ceremony again – I am sending you all to Uzushiogakure," That shocked everyone in the room, even Kakashi's eye widened slightly,

"Wh-wha? What? Baa-chan..." Naruto tried to protest but he couldn't quite find the right words;

"I'm aware of the risks, but we cannot do nothing either – I can't put the village in danger by allowing Naruto to remain here and potentially unleash the Kyuubi on the village, but neither can we alert our enemies to the current state – many of the tensions between the Five Great Nations may have drastically cooled since the Fourth War, but there's still enough hatred between them and the other, smaller shinobi nations, that we can't trust them to help us." She paused for a few moments and allowed the information to sink in;

"Tsunade-sama, even if we're successful and find out what we need to know from Uzushiogakure – who will perform the sealing again?" Kakashi asked fairly quietly, but the room still grew cold as Tsunade carefully answered,

"I will,"

"What?-! No way! You can't do that-" Naruto began his protest but she silenced him,

"Enough – Naruto you  _must_ learn to control yourself!" She snapped, causing Naruto's eyes to avert slightly, "We're going to take this one step at a time – get to Whirling Tides as fast as possible and begin your search – you'll have a month, probably less before the seal fails sufficiently for the Fox to not need Naruto's own anger to help him to break out...this is  _critical_  – do you all understand what I'm saying?"

They all nodded sharply, "Good, then be ready to leave in an hour – Kakashi, I want you to lead this mission, I have no idea what state Uzushio will be in when you arrive – if there will still be people living there or not, I really don't know, but stay cool. The friendship between Konoha and Uzushio still stands so hopefully you shouldn't have too much trouble. But keep your eyes open and Naruto? Keep a lid on those emotions! I know that something you've always struggled with, but its not just your pride on the line it will be your  _life_ _and everyone else's around you!_  If you loose control, the Kyuubi might really break out and that is not an eventuality I'd like to face in my tenure as Hokage, thank you very much."

"I know baa-chan..."

"So you say...anyway, get going, you don't have any time to loose," They all darted away from her office faster than the Hokage could blink. She knew what an incredible risk it was to (send them and especially Naruto) out in his state – but if,  _if_  the fox broke loose, the better it was away from the village and in a slightly more deserted part of Fire – Tsunade-sama just hoped this wasn't the beginning of the end for the young man she'd come love as a grandson.

…

There was still a fair bit of snow in the woodland surrounding Konoha – it had snowed meagrely since the foot and a half of two weeks ago – but those falls weren't enough to keep Konoha under for long and the warmth generated by the village quickly melted it. But as the company sped through the trees, the air was cool and the snow still clinging to the branches making them slippery and it slightly difficult to tell where the branch ended after the snow it was doused in.

At least, this was the justification Kakashi gave himself after he very nearly plummeted to the forest floor some twenty feet below him for the second time. They'd been running in formation for about five hours – Yamato first, then Naruto, Sakura and finally himself – being so well within Fire meant that enemy nin was highly unlikely (even though Kakashi kept his senses open for just such a possibility) but it also meant that his mind wandered slightly.

Well, wandering in the sense that he'd been running through scenarios of how to handle Naruto should he break out into his Kyuubi form and what they should do if the Kyuubi fully escaped its captivity within the young shinobi. He'd also been considering possibilities of what they might find in Whirlpool – he hated running into a situation so blind, but there was really little option, there'd been no time for him to return the the archives and try to find  _something_  out about it.

But in all likelihood, he wouldn't have found anything if he'd had all eternity to search – the Uchiha were seemingly quite suspicious of Whirling Tides and they'd probably stolen and locked away every scrap of information on that, too.  _What beautiful curves-_ wait, what?

He snapped back to realisation as soon as that thought had full registered in his mind that, whilst  _most_  of his brain had been off predicting future events and finding ways to resolve them, the remaining (and apparently slightly perverted) percentage of his brain had been absorbed in imagining what his eye was showing him. Due to him not directing them somewhere specific, it had apparently, inadvertently found it way onto Sakura's...

Just as he tried shake the thought loose, of running his hand over parts of Sakura, his next footfall began to give way and he realised that the snow had overhung the branch and only the tip of his heel was slipping off the stem; his body moving before he really had time to think, meant he brought his right foot up and pushed off the branch with it.

It drove him forward enough to grab on, with his hands, to the next branch and flip himself up and over, dropping to rest in the next tree.  _Phew...that could have been nasty – I've got to start concentrating!_  Perhaps this would be a good time for a pitstop;

"Alright, everyone  _halt!_ " They skidded to a halt the turned back to join Kakashi, "In a few hours we'll be reaching port City where we should be able to rest for the night and take a ferry to Uzu no kuni. I don't want our presence or real purpose advertised so we'll go with the story that we have a client to help who lives in Whirling Tides, is that clear?" They all nodded, "Good...I have no idea if us going to Uzu will raise any suspicions, since Konoha haven't had any requests for mission to or from there and the other nations feared it, above all, for its power."

"So we couldn't have just been requested by someone  _from_  Uzushiogakure, why?" The kuniochi queried,  _ah, right_ , Kakashi thought, he knew so much about other nations and their inter-politics that it was difficult to remember what was and wasn't common knowledge,

"Because it no longer exists, Sakura, it was destroyed decades ago by the other nations – and it was that which kicked off the Third Shinobi World War,"

"Oh! Then is the land itself still inhabited?"

"We don't know – we really have no idea what to expect from entering the country of Whirlpools or from Whirling Tides itself – we  _must_  be on guard if there is anyone still living there, their perception of us as enemies or at least, those not to be trusted is the most likely. However, our primary objective is to get to Port City – if anything we should be able to learn  _something_  even if its just from those who run the ferries to Uzu or those who trade with them," They all nodded sharply, "Naruto, I want you to stick close to Yamato – as he'll be able to suppress the Kyuubi but you cannot rely on him – I know you're probably sick of hearing it by now, but  _don't lose control!_ " Naruto looked for a moment like he wanted to get angry, but he reigned it in,

"I know, Kakashi,-sensei," The Copy Nin could only roll his eyes,

"Don't call me that either – its just weird now that you're a Jounin and no longer a child," Naruto only just managed to resist cracking a joke at Kakashi that he must be feeling his age,

"Fine, fine,"

"Good, then lets get going – with any luck, we can get to Uzu first thing in the morning,"

By the time they'd made it to Port City, night was already beginning to fall and the air was cold and crisp; its name being that of 'city' was certainly no understatement – there were hundreds of buildings and people within its perimeter; Kakashi, as usual appeared thoroughly unperturbed by it all, but it was still a minor surprise for Naruto and Sakura who were used to dealing with uninhabited countryside or the moderately sized hidden villages.

They strode through the town swiftly, Kakashi (already hidden behind his copy of  _Paradise_ ) well aware of the sort of attention they attract as ninja; unfortunately, they didn't even get off the main street before someone stepped up to them,

"I know you...you're Sharingan Kakashi, aren't you?" He was a big man, that was for sure, at least half a foot on Kakashi in height and a probably an entire foot in width – but most of that was from fat rather than muscle and the Copy Nin could sense only weak Chuunin level chakra from him,

"So they say..." He didn't so much as look up from his book and merely flipped a page,

"You don't look very tough...how about once I've kicked your ass, you hand over the little girl over there? She's better than I've seen for a while," Kakashi sighed and allowed his book to droop slightly and his shoulders slump as he finally raised his unimpressed eye to the man stood in front of him. They'd been through this routine too many times to count – punks who were incredibly stupid and arrogant and who thought that Sakura was some possession for their taking; usually characterised, firstly, by the assumption that Kakashi was not as skilled as his reputation suggested because of his seemingly lean stature.

Secondly, they had no concept of teamwork – who seriously thought that they would seriously leave a member of their team behind to the mercy of a man like this – even  _if_  Kakashi had been defeated (which is just about impossible for these types of ninja). Both of those points of course, were underlined by the fact Sakura was more than capable of beating them senseless even if she was injured, fatigued and in possession of only a tenth of her normal chakra – let alone fully fit and angry.

But of course, morons like these couldn't wrap their brain around such facts and so generally needed the lesson beaten into them – although quite satisfying for Kakashi to punish them for their audacity, the first few occasions this sort of thing had happened – particularly back when his kuniochi student had still been so young – but nowadays it was mostly just an irritating waste of their precious time and energy.

Kakashi turned his back to the burly man and calmly addressed his team,

"How about you guys continue on and I'll catch you up in a few minutes?" Their would-be attacker didn't take kindly to being ignored and then insulted; he drew his fist back and threw it towards the back of Kakashi's head, but the Copy Nin merely shifted to move himself directly out of the line of fire and caught the man's fist in his hand over his shoulder without even turning around; squeezing it enough to give a clear signal that Kakashi was no where as weak or incompetent as the man had foolishly thought.

"Hai, Kakashi-sampai," Yamato responded and they leapt casually up to the nearby roof and made a point of having their departure appear thoroughly casual – after so long, this was the current tactic they employed when dealing with punks such as these – appearing completely nonplussed by their existence.

Kakashi slipped his book back into his pouch and span around, twisting the arm in his grip as he did so until his heard the crunch of bone and driving his fist into the man's solar plexus immediately after and following up with a roundhouse kick, sending the man skidding backwards down the street, writhing in pain. Kakashi walked calmly up to stand over him,

"I don't like being disturbed from my reading. You will not bother me or any member of my team again, do I make myself clear?" The man hesitated but ultimately shook his head furiously signifying he would do as the Copy Nin asked.

Satisfied, he slowly drew his hand around and into his pouch, keeping his narrowed eye fixed on the man on the floor, slowly pulling his hand back; the man suddenly scrambled to his feet and ran away as fast as his lumbering weight could carry him. Kakashi, meanwhile, merely pulled out his copy of  _Icha Icha_  again and flipped back to the right page, while leisurely strolling to catch up with his team.

So much for keeping a low profile.

Kakashi took a few of the alleyways down to put some distance between himself and the street where the fight occurred – out of sight, out of mind was a helpful principle in such situations and he was eager to face no more trouble whilst they had still to even  _reach_  their destination...of course no trouble at all would be delightful, but the day that happened on a mission (especially with Naruto involved) would be the day the universe ended.

Kakashi found he was high up enough that he could see out over the rest of the city and to the ocean beyond; although too far to see any sign of Uzu no kuni, his mind drifted back to it. Would he find any information on his family, whilst there? Was it possible that Hatake was a branch family of the Uzumaki clan which ruled Uzushiogakure?

Kakashi wasn't sure, but even as the thought occurred to him, something felt off about it – his intuition telling him it wasn't that simple – if so, why would only those two have left in the fashion they did? Either way, he hoped that there would be _something_  left of Uzushiogakure to help him answer his numerous, personal, questions.

* * *

"Ah, excuse me?" Sakura tried again to catch the man's attention, but he wasn't buying it – "Sir? I just want to talk to you for a moment," Was she that threatening?

"I don't want any trouble, I've done nothing wrong and I want no trouble," He eventually replied, stiffly, as he bent to untie the mooring; progress, at least.

"I'm not looking for trouble, only passage on a ship to Uzu no kuni, that's all."

" _That's all?_  Are you having a laugh?" The man tempered his voice again and calmed himself, looking briefly around for eavesdroppers,

"Why is it such a problem?" The man paled a moment,

"That place...not fit for people, even if they are ninja...no, there's only terrible things over there,"

"What do you mean? What things?"  _Ninjutsu?_

"No, no, nevermind...goodbye," The man literally leapt onto his boat and cast off; that had been the typical reaction all morning, Sakura sighed and turned to head back in the direction in which she'd separated from the others.

When they'd first made it down to the docks at just past dawn, they went straight to one of the stalls selling tickets for passage on the numerous ferries, but as soon as Yamato had (very politely, smiling and all) asked if there were any ferries going to Uzu no kuni, the man paled slightly and stuttered that it was time for his...um...breakfast break and that they'd have to come back later, he'd then boarded the front of his stall and run as though they'd meant to take his life.

Sakura probably would have laughed if their situation weren't so serious; after that, they decided to split up and ask the private boat owners – he was the seventh man she'd asked and was still no closer to Uzu no kuni. She ambled slowly back until she spotted a blob of orange and a mop of grey hair – she smiled lightly at the memory of the previous week, when she'd sat with Kakashi in the shushuya.

She'd been surprised at his ability to make her laugh – and at his sense of humour, which was very agreeable to her, when previously it seemed as though he hadn't much of one and what little there was, had a strong sadistic streak.

But, it was enlightening to talk with him in such a relaxed atmosphere and when he wasn't so on edge and preoccupied with an inner storm; it was refreshing too, having a conversing partner so well versed on a variety of topics. And who had a natural sense for the ebb and flow of conversation – she loved Naruto, but he did  _not_  understand that it was okay to have a few moments of silence in a discussion.

He wasn't nearly as socially inept as he sometimes came across – and she was willing to bet those examples were intentional; he was a man of quick wit and able to make quite informed decisions swiftly – if he decided he didn't want to speak to someone, it was  _decided._

"Any luck?" Said Jounin asked as she stepped up next to him,

"None, I'm afraid, its the same with everyone, they just look terrified at a mere mention,"

"Hmm...well, thankfully, I managed to obtain us a boat – although we'll have to sail it ourselves – it should do the job," Sakura raised an eyebrow,

"Should I ask?" He grinned,

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, Sakura-chan – he's only under a genjutsu and not injured," She nodded, it certainly was rare for Kakashi to resort to such things – especially on a civilian – but he was right, now was not the time for standing on ceremony.

They waited for Yamato and Naruto to rejoin them and they set off as inconspicuously as possible – the winds were strong around the coastline and they were soon well away from Port City; Kakashi had taken a seat at the prow of the boat, keeping an eye on the upcoming waters – Uzu no kuni was quite a few kilometres away, but if the wind remained with them, they would arrive quickly.

He kept himself vigilant and mindful of the distance they were crossing and after he felt they were within about six or so kilometres of the island, he subtly uncovered his sharingan and watched for anything unusual – there was nothing straight ahead at he could see, at first. But soon he began to register that the tumultuous swirling in the water wasn't just a result of the tides and currents, but that there was  _chakra_  embedded in the water.

He opened his mouth to shout out orders when the sea began to ebb dramatically, great waves seemed to appear out of nowhere forming great humanoid shapes just in front of the ship,

"Sakura! Yamato! Naruto!" The moukton wielder appeared behind him in seconds,

"W-what is it?"

"I don't know but the water's full of chakra, which could well be what's causing this...get ready!" Naruto and Sakura, who'd since appeared as well, each readied their chakra, and stepped into a defensive position; the water continued converging and swelling until six great giants seemed to have been formed of the water in a wide semi-circle ahead of the boat.

They were odd, though, each about seven feet in height, with bodies of roughly human shape but stylised somehow, much like a warped triangle - they were a dank, near crimson colour. They stood staring right at the ship in front of them for almost a full minute before they raised previously hidden hands and began to form seals;  _K-Kami-sama! I know this!_

"I-I think I recognise this!" Sakura shouted, managing to make herself heard above the roar of the water,

"What?" Kakashi shouted back still daring to take his eye of the monstrous formations,

"It looks like the Sanbou Kyuukai [Three Buddhist Treasures Vacuum Destruction] that Chiyo-sama used – only hers were puppets but they're almost identical seals – if we get sucked into them, we'll be crushed!" No sooner had Sakura stopped speaking than the chakra water clones opened their mouths – monstrously wide – their chins lowering about a foot and a tremendous vacuum was created, from them all simultaneously, sucking everything in the vicinity towards them.

The force was enough drag the entire boat forward, the shinobi having little option but to abandon the vessel and attempt to attack; Yamato immediately sending out great branches to attempt to coil around and destroy one of the giants, but as soon as the wood was caught in the suction range, it was immediately crushed.

Sakura forced herself to calm down and think, last time she encountered anything like this is was on 'her' side rather than the enemy's and as it attacked what it was aimed at, Sakura didn't think about means to retaliate...but here? What would help?

She watched as the ship was finally lifted free of the water and pulled into the semi-circle and smashed with the sheer vacuum force, it vanished immediately after it had suffered the effects of the crushing force and any evidence that a ship had at one time existed, was sealed into a void of nothingness.

"Everyone get ready," She shouted whilst quickly organising her chakra and slammed her fist into the water, unleashing her chakra in a monstrous wave of water – as she struck the wave, she forced as much of her chakra as she could afford into the water, so that the wave carried her  _own_  chakra ahead towards the giants. The composition of water upset the stability of the clones and as Sakura's wave crashed into the them, it momentarily disrupted the jutsu - although it wasn't enough to destroy any of them.

"Push your own chakra into the water!" The kuniochi managed to shout as she darted forward, hoping to get the far side of the formations before attacking again – very quickly the other three flanked her, "Yamato, create another long range water jutsu full of your own chakra to throw them off – then, Naruto, form a rasen-shuriken and you, Kakashi, create a fire jutsu to combine with it!"

"Do as she says! Afterwards make for Uzu no kuni as fast as possible, we'll regroup there," Kakashi's assured, although slightly strained voice cut through the again near deafening sound of the crashing water before the vacuum jutsu began again, and all three men worked to create the appropriate hand seals whilst organising their chakra.

Sakura herself kept well out of their way and observed, carefully, the surrounding ocean, should any other watery foes put in an appearance; the years of teamwork between the three men meant that only seconds after Kakashi had finished speaking, the six monstrous clones exploded and an immense volume of water was blasted from sea-level up into the air reading to come crashing down upon them.

Acting almost entirely on instinct and muscle memory, Sakura darted forward and ran as fast her leg would carry her the remaining kilometres towards Uzu no kuni, the water crashed back down just behind her and created another gigantic wave that was far too fast for her to outrun; although she managed to keep her balance over the brunt of the wave, she quickly fell and was sucked under the surface.

The kuniochi was a strong swimmer, but under the raw power of the water she was no match; she managed to keep a level head and take as many breaths of air whenever possible, but found she had no sense of direction or distance. Eventually she felt something solid and unforgiving smash into her elbow, buckling the bone, before momentum carried her further, spinning uncontrollably, before she managed to feel the solidity again this time crushing her front, and dragging her forward.

The water receded, just as suddenly as her sense of up and down had returned she gasped for breath – unsure which was more painful, the smashed elbow-joint or her lungs, having been denied of breath for so long. She lay wheezing and coughing and gasping for a few moments, trying to get herself under control enough to open her eyes and look around; she could taste grit in her mouth and some forgiving material beneath her fingertips.

She managed to force her head up and her eyes open; they stung with the salt water which almost immediately forced them closed again, gathering her strength, she pulled herself forward on her forearm, pushing with her feet. She didn't get far before the water rushed back and she only just managed to lift her head high enough so as not to inhale more water, it receded again and she did her best to crawl forward, enough to get out of the tide –  _Kami_  her arm hurt as it lay limp at her side, unable and unwilling to move it for fear of worsening the injury whilst she was in no state to fix it.

She forced herself forward further until she could hear the ebbing tide crash behind her, but could no longer feel water soaking her feet – she finally gave in to the fatigue coursing through her and Sakura forced herself to roll over onto her back before giving in and dropping unconscious.

..

.


	3. Over An Alien Landscape

 

She was aware of the pain before anything else – and it took a moment to realise, that if she was feeling pain, then she must be conscious... and therefore alive. Her eyes snapped open at this, and she tried to ready herself for whatever she might face, it was dark, although there was enough light to make out something above her, that looked like... trees? She tried to sit up but pain shot through her arm again and she flopped back down,

"Sakura! Thank  _kami-sama!_ " Yamato appeared over her, a hand on her shoulder, as he looked a little concerned, "You've been out for hours, how are you?"

"O-ay," Her voice cracked lightly as Yamato lifted her to a sitting position and handed her a canteen of water and helped her gulp a few mouthfuls of freshwater, "My arms the worst, I think and I should be able to heal it after I've rested some more. What about you, any injuries? And the others?" Yamato shook his head slightly as she looked around, not seeing her backpack, damn, she must have lost it in the confusion.

"I couldn't find Naruto or Kakashi – I only came across you a while ago and I didn't want to risk leaving you here alone to go and search for them, but I did send out a clone into the woods to scout around. I'm not badly injured through, apart form a few nasty bruises, but I'll live – heal yourself Sakura, as soon as you can."

"Hai...have you come across anybody living here? They must be elite Jounin class at least to cast a jutsu like that," She tentatively reached in to summon her chakra, and, as expected she found her stores high; her body was exhausted, however, and protested at the strain of finely manipulating chakra. The kuniochi ignored it and focussed on mending the shattered bone and cartilage; Yamato looked concerned as he thought over his words,

"I know... that worries me too – I don't know how the jutsu could be maintained for all this time  _without_  someone here to do so. And they're obviously not welcoming hosts..." Sakura finished with her elbow and began on her sore ribs, "We'll wait here for the night and then we'll go in search of the others...let's just hope they aren't faring any worse than us."

…

"Hold still...we don't want to alert them to us before we have to," Kakashi whispered from his crouched position in the tree, Naruto in the same tree a few branches above; they were waiting for an elderly man and a young boy with him – who appeared to be about five or six – walking down the small trail between the trees. Kakashi was unsure how to act, he could sense chakra within them both, but were they from a village? Where there others? Were they alone? He didn't want to leap in while he was still uncertain of the situation.

"...So why was it never rebuilt, O-jii-san?" The young boy asked, pausing to bend and pick up a rock from the path,

"The other nations feared us... and hated us for our abilities. They were small minded and the stupid destroy what they do not understand," The elderly man spoke with a bitterness well known to Kakashi;

"Why?"

"Because the unknown can be frightening and it often seems easier to remove what frightens you rather than potentially make yourself vulnerable in trying to understand it," The boy looked confused for a moment, but nodded absently before throwing the stone up and catching it with the same hand; they lapsed into silence for a short while until they were almost out of sight from the two Leafs,

"O-jii-san?"

"Hmm?"

"What will happen to them?"

"Gerimaru will be along shortly to clean up," He placed his hand on the boy's head as they finally disappeared from sight; Kakashi did not like the sound of the elderly man's last comment and swiftly readied himself to leave, Naruto appeared by his side,

"What did the old man mean by that?"

"I don't know, but we need to get out of here," They darted away but only managed to leap to the next tree before a presence made itself well known to them, Kakashi span around and leapt down onto the path seeing five shinobi appear in front of him;

"Who are you?" One of the men spoke – he was dressed smartly in a yukata, the long hair sprouting from his head and down to just past his shoulders, was fiery red, he appeared to be a man into his late twenties; he was flanked by a further two shinobi on either side, all of whom were in a ready-stance.

"We are shinobi of Konoha," He eyed their headbands and attire carefully;

"Why are you here?"

"We are seeking information on a specific fūinjutsu,"

"For what purpose? What jutsu?"

"It is a very delicate situation – tell me who you are, first," Kakashi didn't take his eye of the men in front of him, watching for any untoward movements;

"I am Siina Gerimaru – I am charged with the protection of this village and we do not receive visitors often,"

"I seek only information, we do not desire to fight,"

"Why have you come here, specifically?"

"We are heading to the Village Hidden in the Whirling Tides," Gerimaru looked unimpressed – but in an arrogant, mocking, way;

"It has been long destroyed,"

"It is still our destination," As soon as the last syllable was spoken, two more nin appeared from the trees behind them, throwing kunai and sebon, causing Naruto and Kakashi to snap into action; the Copy Nin lifted his sharingan and dodged the blades speeding towards him. Gerimaru didn't pause to observe the fight and began to form hand seals, which drew Kakashi's attention as he read through them, seeing they were for a suuiton based jutsu – Kakashi was quick to counter with a katon but with six other opponents – two of whom already having demonstrated skills with fire and earth (the former singeing a few silver hairs from his head) was beginning to prove tricky.

There weren't many who could stand up to the Kyuubi jinchuuriki and Copy Nin team, but even so, Kakashi had to be careful – he couldn't risk overusing his sharingan and leaving himself vulnerable – or unable to help Naruto should he lose control. He began to exchange kicks and punches with Gerimaru whilst his mangekyou sharingan activated, ready to vaporise any unavoidable jutsu into nothing – Naruto was fairing fairly well, with four clones to assist him.

Kakashi was worried, Naruto was far more likely to loose control with provocation for anger above anything else – especially without Yamato in the vicinity to help, Kakashi would have to be prepared to try and control Naruto or the Kyuubi with his sharingan for as long as possible until some control could be wrought – even if that were possible, it would still mean Kakashi would need significant strength  _after_  his current fight and that was where the problems began.

* * *

 

"And just why should I do as you ask? You are severely outnumbered and in  _my_  home village,"

"We're well aware, Wazishi-sama, and we desire no trouble, only to have our team-mates back," The man frowned, his busy eyebrows twitching as he stared at the two in front of him,

"You are all shinobi from Konohagakure no sato,"

"That is correct, Wazishi-sama,"

"Long ago the Hidden Leaf and Whirling Tides were allies...yet Uzushio has already been destroyed, why do you still wear the symbol for Uzu on your back?"

"Although Whirling Tides no longer exists, Konoha still chooses to display its good will and friendship towards the shinobi from that village – since there are still surviving members of that clan and the village, we will still consider them allies," The old man 'hmm-ed' for a moment, sucking on the pipe between his lips at Yamato's courteous explanation.

"And why are you here, now, when we have had no visitors for decades?"

"We are headed to Uzushiogakure, in search of information,"

"Rubble is all that remains, what do you expect to find?"

"We seek information on a specific seal which originated in Uzushio,"

"You wish for advantage over your enemies?" Yamato shook his head slightly at Wazishi's accusation,

"No, that's not our purpose,"

"Then what is it?" Wazishi took a slow drag on his pipe and exhaled leisurely, watching the two through the plume of smoke;

"..." Yamato hesitated and Wazishi smiled lightly at the non-answer.

"Well, until you decided to become more forthcoming, I will allow you to remain with you team-mates – please behave yourselves," Both Sakura and Yamato paused for a few moments before bowing,

"Thank you, Wazishi-sama," Four shinobi appeared at their sides and swiftly removed them from the room. Gerimaru stepped up the raised dais upon which Wazishi sat; his expression still schooled into neutrality, but his mind was whirring,

"Is it wise to put them all together, Kenjin-san [wise man]?" The elder's eyes connected to the younger, whose disbelief and hatred evident; Wazishi merely smiled,

"I wouldn't worry, Gerimaru-kun, they will not attack us...but I am curious as to why they are being so secretive if their purpose is not to gain tactical advantage as they have said,"

"They're probably lying,"

"No, I do not believe that." The elder rose to his feet, groaning slightly at the stiffness of his joints; "Give them a few days to think it over, then we'll talk to them again...Keep an eye on them Gerimaru-kun."

...

Sakura wasn't sure who to treat first – Kakashi had looked better, but at least he was conscious.

"Kakashi-sampai! Naruto!" Yamato, was just as undecided,

"Naruto's all right, I put him under a genjutsu to prevent him from losing control, but I think he's uninjured," Sakura nodded as she knelt in front of her former sensei, "My left shoulder's been dislocated," She eyed the sebon in his shoulder, which looked to be lodged in said dislocated joint, she winced slightly as she moved her hand in ready to grip the weapon, but she paused;

"I probably don't need to tell you how much this is going to hurt, but try and bear with it," He nodded as her left hand dropped to his upper arm as she gripped the sebon and yanked it free in a split second, eliciting a bitten groan from the Jounin as he tensed with the sudden pain.

"Sorry," She reached to pull down the zip on his flak jacket and pushed it gently off his shoulders, "I'm surprised you didn't yank the sebon out yourself...ah," She could see a few spots of dried blood on his shirt underneath,

"I pulled out the others, and I was about to start of that one, but then I heard them talking about you and Yamato and wondered if they'd send you here."

"I'll heal them after we've sorted this shoulder," She moved to is side and carefully gripped his arm, "How long has it been dislocated?"

"A few hours perhaps,"

"Ready?" He nodded as Sakura lifted the arm slightly, before pressing her free hand against him, just below his armpit and tugging back on his arm sharply, enough to pull it up and out so that it slid cleanly back into place, well, cleanly from a medic's perspective but apparently Kakashi didn't agree as she saw him tense and wince with the pain. Sakura pulled up the hem of his over-shirt, noticing that he wearing his tank top beneath, shifting her hands up to his shoulder joint under the over shirt so she could begin to pour in her healing chakra and ease the burning pain whilst she restored the tension to his ligaments and tendons.

"How does that feel now?" He brought his own hand up to rub his shoulder as he rotated his arm gently,

"Better... much better, thank you,"

"Lift up your under shirt and let me heal your other sebon punctures," He did as asked and barely a second after her fingers brushed over each injury, they were healed and only smooth, taught skin was left behind. "There, anything else?"

"No, that's all," He pulled his shirts back down,

"Did they ask you any questions?" He shook his head, as he slipped his flack jacket back on,

"Not really, I think they were cautious after seeing me knock out Naruto with a look, but..." There was something else Kakashi couldn't put his finger on;

"Hmm, well he had a few questions for us; he seemed suspicious of everything we said but the elder came across as a fairly reasonable man...one of his men was very unforgiving, though..." She rose to her feet and went to check on Naruto as Yamato sat beside Kakashi to talk with him; the kuniochi shifted his haitai-ate so as to press her hand to his forehead which would allow her chakra to infuse his system and in doing so broke the genjutsu,

"Mmh...Sakura-chan?"

"Hai, Naruto, take it easy,"

"What happened?" He sat up slowly,

"Kakashi said he put a genjutsu on you to make sure you wouldn't lose control, what's the last thing you remember?"

"We were fighting in the woodland, we were steadily getting more and more outnumbered and it was difficult to fight them without killing them... I could feel myself beginning to get angry... and then... just the sharingan." He explained slowly as Sakura nodded,

"Any injuries?"

"N-no I don't think so... but why are you here? Were you captured?"

"In a manner of speaking, we saw them carrying you off and decided that the best way to approach it was to speak to the village elder." Sakura explained, watching as Naruto sat up and retied his forehead protector,

"So what are we going to do?"Sakura looked over her shoulder to Kakashi and Yamato, who'd heard Naruto's comments,

"Be patient," The Copy Nin responded, "The next move is theirs."

* * *

"Please stop staring at me like that, Gerimaru-san, I'm finding it difficult to concentrate," Sakura's allowed her voice to remain fairly relaxed although she kept her undertone firm – a typical tactic to deal with difficult patients... or their equally difficult chaperones. Gerimaru had called for Sakura earlier that day to help them heal some of their wounded (after they'd discovered her ability as a medic-nin, they'd all too swiftly found a convenient use for her). Kakashi had taken her aside just before she left and told the kuniochi to keep her eyes well peeled, and not to wear her chakra down to more than half – no matter _what_ her 'medic conscience' told her. Sakura didn't like it, but she agreed to be mindful of what the potential situation could swiftly turn into, and made certain she didn't recklessly squander her precious life-energy.

"I don't trust you, Leaf," Gerimaru shot back as she finished her cursory exam of the patient lying on the nearby table and began to make notes,

"But Wazishi-sama does, and he has asked me to help heal these men – as hard as it may be for you to accept, I am trying to help you and your men," She cooly rebutted; Gerimaru narrowed his eyes slightly as Sakura moved back to the small desk laid out with various equipment and pinned another slip of paper to the clipboard.

"I find it difficult to accept you would help your enemies of your own free will,"

The kuniochi rolled her eyes, "Its hardly of my 'own free will' whilst my team-mates are held hostage and I'm surrounded by other shinobi, is it? Besides, I do not consider you my enemy...  _yet_ ," She whispered the last bit under her breath but apparently her chaperone heard it,

"Yet?"

"Continuing to interfere with the treatment of my patients – your subordinates – are hardly the actions of an ally, wouldn't you agree?" She locked eyes with him as she raised an eyebrow, obviously unimpressed;

"You think I would leave my subordinates at the mercy of a potentially hostile unknown?" He said, causing her to huff slightly at his obstinate arguing, 

"Yamato and I could have attacked you outright but we didn't, we waited to speak with your leader,"

"A clever tactic,"

She looked at him carefully, "You know, there  _are_  modifications to your diet and certain meditative exercises you can do to alleviate all of that paranoia," Gerimaru unfolded his arms and opened his mouth to speak, looking furious, when the fusuma slid open and another Uzu nin entered,

"Have you finished your examinations?"

"Hai, Hishin-san,"

"Good, then come with me," He said, she replaced her pen back to the desk and picked up the clipboard full of notes and followed the other nin out of the door, slowly followed by Gerimaru, as they traced the way back towards the main hall,

"Aah! Sakura-san, how are the wounded?"

"Stable, now, Wazishi-sama; I've healed the flesh wounds and other injuries – there are quite a few cases of iron deficiency among your men and I'm willing to bet that there are more cases than those in the infirmary. I've written out a course of treatments and modifications to their diets to rectify the problem and prevent it from occurring again – I would advise you all to make such adaptations, lest you risk befalling the same afflictions," Wazishi eyed her carefully for a few moments,

"Thank you, Sakura-san, but I will not give my men any drugs."

"Oh no, that won't be necessary – a simple change to their diets will be sufficient and for the men worst affected a few extra supplements and a short term stricter regiment will be all that's needed." She clarified earning an agreeable nod from him,

"Very well, thank you. Gerimaru-kun, take her back to the cell and bring me the blonde young man." The nin took the papers from Sakura and handed them to another, before gesturing for the kuniochi to follow his lead. The return walk was fairly slow, the wooden boards creaking with each footfall as they traced the steps down the side of the main building; the sky was dark for the time of day and there was a thickness in the air, forewarning of the fat, round rain drops which would soon plummet from the clouds.

"You, Blondie, come with me," A sizeable vein pop immediately appeared on Naruto's forehead; he stepped forward, ready to fight back,

"Cool it," Kakashi's reassured voice brought him back to reality, "Sakura," The kuniochi walked over to he and Yamato, as Naruto and Gerimaru disappeared, "Well?" She shrugged unconcernedly,

"Most of the men had a few minor injuries, broken bones, lacerations – no doubt thanks to you – as well as a general iron deficiency among them, and I suspect the other villagers," Kakashi nodded, not giving much away, but Sakura knew him well enough, "Disappointed?" He looked surprised for a moment, but shook his head,

"No... well, not really – hoping, perhaps for something a little more in our favour, but..."

"What is your name?" Wazishi spoke from his formal seat on the dias of the main hall.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" The flamboyant blonde flashed his signature grin and a 'thumbs up' as Wazishi choked on a badly-timed drag of his pipe;

"Wha – are you sure?" He queried after catching his breath, Naruto frowned for a moment,

"Sure? Ha-ha, what do you mean 'sure'? How can I be unsure of my name?"

"Your surname is 'Uzumaki'..."

"Mmh! It was my mother's."

"Who was she?"

Naruto wondered why the old man was so intrigued with his name, but he answered nonetheless, "Uzumaki Kushina."

Wazishi's eyes widened slightly, as a short ripple of whispers ran through the men flanking either side of the room, "K-Kushina-chan? Are you certain? Where is she? Is she still alive?"

Naruto averted his eyes to the floor, "No...unfortunately she's dead, she died some years ago."

"She was taken to the Leaf in her childhood, was she not?"

"Yeah! She was taken there to become the–" He cut himself short remembering that the information was probably not something he should freely share; "...To train as a kuniochi of the Leaf," Wazishi cocked his head slightly, sensing that Naruto had almost let something important slip;

"Would it surprise you to know, young man, that I knew your mother?"

The jinchuuriki's eyes sparkled, "What? Really?-!" A smile tugged at the elder's lips,

"Indeed I did... she was a very spirited child... like you, I think."

Naruto's smile turned slightly embarrassed as he brought a hand to the back of his head, "Ahahaha...I've been told that before..."

"Hmm, she was well gifted with the powerful life-force of the Uzumaki clan, the best of her generation... her skill with sealing techniques was wonderful too... it made her an excellent student, despite her occasionally prickly nature."

"Y-you taught her in sealing techniques?"

Wazishi took another slow drag of his pipe as he nodded, "Most of the fundamental ones of Uzushiogakure, yes."

"But... my mother left here when she was young, of academy age... how could you have taught her?" Naruto asked, his maturity evident in his ability to more tactfully query the man's apparent age; he looked old, yes, but not more than about sixty, he thought.

"It might startle you to realise just how old I am... even she used to call me an old man back then! Hahah! But perhaps, they were her attempts to spite me for annoying her." Naruto was aware that he really shouldn't, but a laugh escaped him in thinking back to his own insults to Kakashi being along the same vein and for similar reasons when he was a little younger.

"I thought... that everyone was killed with the destruction of Uzushio?"

"Not quite, but it was in our interests to have others believe that," The blonde nodded in understanding; Wazishi's expression became slightly pained; "It saddens me more than I can say to hear my dear student has died... tell me, how did it happen?"

"...She was killed in an attack by the Kyuubi..." He hoped the half truth would suffice, the knowledge that if the fox escaped then it would surely be the death of himself and everyone else on the island Uzu.

"Hmm... I'm am sure she defended her home honourably..." Wazishi, as calm as his voice was, couldn't quite hide the twinge of regret and something else Naruto couldn't quite decipher,

"...She did." She saved  _him_  honourably, too.

"I've been told you are looking for information on a special seal," Wazishi continued the thread of conversation. Naruto nodded,

"That's right – we believe that Uzushiogakure would hold some information we're looking for." The jinchuuriki's instincts telling him to buy as much time as possible before telling Wazishi exactly what they were really after was a good idea... especially as it would seem that the elderly man  _had_  precisely what they were after; their ignorance was currently to the Leaf's advantage.

"And what will you do should you find this information?"

"We will leave and not bother you again, if that is your wish," Naruto said, the elder paused, taking a few further puffs on his pipe whilst he considered his response;

"Then perhaps it would be in my interest to take you to where you wish to go... but I am still concerned with what you are planning to do with one of our seals."

Naruto took a chance and hoped that a show of good faith would get him somewhere; "If I am honest with you, Wazishi-san, the seal is for Konoha's jinchuuriki, the seal containing the demon fox – one which is from the village of Uzushio – is weakening and it needs to be recast, but we have no knowledge of the seal there – so our Hokage asked us to come here to discover what we could about it before disaster strikes." It pained Naruto to use precisely the language which hurt him to hear so often when he was young, but allowing Wazishi to realise  _he_ was the host, was not a good idea. The elder didn't respond immediately,

"...I can see how that situation would certainly prompt desperate measures..." The man rose to his feet and nodded to Gerimaru, "Go and get the others, I think its time we showed our guests what they're after."

"Really?!" Both Naruto and Gerimaru responded identically – for polar opposite reasons;

"Kenjin-san, you can't be serious-"

"You mean it, Wazishi-san? You'll-"

"Silence. Gerimaru-kun, bring Naruto-kun's comrades here. Naruto-kun, you will remain here, quietly." Gerimaru turned on his heel and marched stiffly out of the door and returned within a few minutes with a confused looking Yamato, Kakashi and Sakura; they knelt in front of Wazishi,

"After speaking with Naruto-kun, I've decided to take you all to what remains of Uzushiogakure. But I will remind you that you will still be my prisoners and I expect you all to behave – as skilled shinobi as you are, my men are able to immobilise you in seconds, I do not wish for any further conflict, do you understand?"

Kakashi nodded; "Hai, Wazishi-san... we're very grateful to you for this opportunity,"

He eyed Kakashi carefully, "Very well..." He departed the room as Sakura broke into a grin,

"Save it to Naruto to win-over even the most hardened of sceptics," Even Kakashi let out a breath of laughter at the statement. Before long, Wazishi returned, dressed slightly differently with a few extra guards who stepped up to each Leaf, flanking them on both sides as they left the buildings and began the long walk towards Uzushiogakure. Gerimaru walked next to Sakura,

"You won't want to test my...  _paranoia_ , kuniochi," Sakura only just managed to resist rolling her eyes at the apparent sore spot for Gerimaru. Wazishi, meanwhile, fell into step close to Kakashi,

"You are a Hatake, aren't you?"

Kakashi barely managed to hide his surprise, "Why would you think that, Wazishi-san?"

The elder narrowed his eyes slightly, his disdain evident, "Typical Hatake, always making sure he has the upper hand... you should feel lucky you are here as an ally of Naruto-kun." Wazishi swiftly walked on leaving Kakashi to decipher the fairly cryptic response – well, apparently his family connection certainly  _did_  extend to Uzushiogakure, after all.

..

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might feel this chapter jumps around a little, but it was necessary and hopefully not too cumbersome to read! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed/left kudos lately, its wonderful to know you're all enjoying the story! ^_ ^


	4. Foothills

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the slow progression of KakaSaku – but, as I'm sure you can appreciate – there's [quite a lot of] info which needs to be gathered first before the plot as a whole can progress (and therefore KakaSaku)! There is some dovetailing of perspectives/POVs through this chapter (but it seemed too cumbersome to separate them each with a page-break) hope its not too confusing to read.

Uzushiogakure was much as they'd said – rubble covered in rubble covered in dust being grown upon by varying foliage. The old entrance to the village, which Kakashi imagined to have once been a grand archway, had mostly fallen to a barely recognisable heap; but the crests of the Uzumaki clan symbol were still partially visible. Wazishi lead them down the path cleared through of the rubble down towards were the centre of the village must have been,

"As you can see, this village's splendour has long been erased... many of the village's inhabitants were either killed or had fled into hiding and some considerable information was left behind – and most likely destroyed, we rescued what we could, but you may still find something of value. My men will be watching you carefully, as always."

"Thanks Wazishi-ojii-san!" Naruto momentarily lapsed into his instinctive (if not slightly immature) way to address an elder; Kakashi wanted to say something to Naruto about it, but considering the old man's favourable reaction to Naruto and his very  _unfavourable_  reaction to himself, it seemed like a bad idea. His eye caught Sakura's and he could see her thoughts had been along very similar lines to his own; she turned just a smile threatened and shook her head whilst walking down a side 'street'. Kakashi turned himself and walked between the ruins of two large buildings, it was difficult to tell what they once were – the lack of personal items and central location suggested administration buildings. Nature was beginning to return – although the excessive concrete hadn't made it easy – there was still some four decades or more worth of re-growth and anything to be examined had to be first cleared of plant debris. He bent to shift a large lump of rubble, beneath which was a half-crushed saké saucer.

It wasn't difficult to imagine that he was clearing the debris from Konoha after a demon fox attack.

 

The closest thing Naruto could liken it to, was an upturned chest full of random objects – a cursory glance brought intrigue, but it was unclear whether anything of value could be found. Naruto walked down the main street, trying to resist the urge to create thousands of clones to scout every square inch at once – so he settled for creating ten. They all immediately darted off in a myriad of directions not bothering to stop for the spluttering guards who had been watching Naruto and were now unsure how to deal with so many replicas of him; the blonde however, found his eyes caught by something brightly coloured. He bent down for a closer inspection and found it to be a cloth of some description, he gripped the edge and tugged, dislodging a small cloud of dust from it at the same time; it was stuck fast and Naruto tried to shift off some of the clutter holding it. A clone reappeared at his side and helped him lift some of the heavier slabs of concrete and to rip away a handful of plants whose roots were holding the debris together; soon enough was lifted that Naruto could get a look at the cloth, it appeared to be a sash of some description.

He managed to tug it free and in doing so revealed the end of what looked like a scroll – his interest and anticipation suddenly spiked; he immediately recalled a number of clones back to his side to help him as he stuffed the sash into his pocket and continued to displace the crumbled building. Before long, he'd managed to free the first scroll he set eyes on, and could in turn see the crumpled corners of what perhaps could be many others, he sat back for the moment, however, and carefully unravelled the scroll; the words were badly faded but still legible. He began to read it, but it seemed odd, somehow;

_'...but today I started at the academy – there was lots of boring stuff, lectures about how we have to commit for the rest of our lives, how we have to work hard and study lots and other stuff I didn't get...but then the teacher did some really cool things – he showed us some jutsu – the 'henge' I think it was called...so cool! I'd never seen anything like it! And he could throw a shuriken so far! And right on target! No one I know can do that!'_

Naruto couldn't resist the smile that broke out – it must have been the diary of a young girl, just about to being her path as a ninja; the blonde felt the urge to snicker at how his own thoughts had so closely mirrored those of the young girl on his first day; listening to so much information, that he knew now was important, but things he couldn't understand the significance of at that age. By the sound of it, she was from civilian parents...or maybe she didn't have any? Naruto didn't know, and he wasn't sure what exactly it was, but he felt some sort of kinship with the girl – even though she was most likely long dead, he carefully re-rolled the scroll for reading later and slotted it cautiously into his pocket, feeling as though it was a precious treasure. He dived back in, eager to recover more scrolls, he pulled one, two, three – infinitely more, or so it seemed, from the cleared pile of debris just as Sakura appeared at his side;

"Looks like you found something," She grinned as he looked back, matching her smile,

"Yeah, yeah! Take a look at these!" He pointed at the steadily growing pile of scrolls, Sakura picked one up and gently unravelled it, swiftly skimming the contents,

"These look like...journals..."

Naruto nodded without meeting her eyes as he yanked away more plant material and he was able to drag out a slat of varnished wood – presumably the case upon which the scrolls were stored, "Right...isn't it amazing? These were  _people_ , Sakura-chan,  _people_...children, learning to be  _ninja!_ Its incredible to see evidence of these peoples' lives..." His eyes were literally sparkling, in a way Sakura had seen in her friend for a long time; he reached beneath another lump of concrete and pulled out a few more scrolls. Sakura began to clear away more of the debris and as she tugged away ever more of the disintegrated building, her childhood friend all but disappeared in crawling into the open space;

"Your friend should be careful, he might get crushed beneath all that rubble." Gerimaru's familiar voice drew the kuniochi's attention,

"Displaying concern for potentially hostile unknowns? A clever tactic," She couldn't quite resist a small smirk at the response she got, the Uzu nin's hands resting on his hips and is head averting to the side – a clear display of irritation; Sakura ignored him and continued to help the many clones remove the worst of the mess. She handled each scroll or personal item she came across with the utmost care, making sure to pile them neatly out of harm's way;

"Why do you care so much about these scrolls? You couldn't possibly have known the person who wrote them." Gerimaru's voice was as full of disdain as she'd ever heard;

"Don't  _you_  care about Uzushio's past?"

"It has crumbled to dust."

She turned right around and rose to her feet, looking Gerimaru up and down, "Its buildings have, yes, but these scrolls are the memories of the people who once lived here...and a village is its people, Gerimaru-san – its physical properties are, at best, a representation," The red-headed Uzu nin's eye twitched slightly and a vein pop threatened on his forehead as he took a step closer to her,

"How have-"

"She's not wrong, Gerimaru-kun!" Wazishi, it seemed, had been walking towards them and caught the tail-end of their conversation, he was grinning as he looked between the two nin, "Uzushio was ruined in many ways – its buildings crumpled, many people murdered and the rest scattered, but we survived Gerimaru-kun,  _we_ are still here – and that means that Hidden Eddy was not fully annihilated. And the memories that Naruto-kun and Sakura-san are rescuing are proof of that...thank you for taking so much care with them,"

Sakura bowed slightly, "Its my pleasure, Wazishi-san, its truly fascinating to find all of these scrolls...even if they aren't quite what we're looking for," Naruto reappeared with a few small books and a haitai-ate and a grin on his face so bright, Sakura found it truly infectious.

 

Yamato, with the help of one of the more amiable guards, shifting a large chunk of wall to reveal a crushed bookcase beneath it, there were a number of scrolls, bent out of shape and a few books beside them. He picked up one which immediately disintegrated, he sighed and tried to pick up the one beside it with a little more care, but it wasn't easy, the next scroll cracked and threatened to crumble – he only just managed to rescue it,

"Yamato-san? Are you alright?" Rei knelt beside the Leaf nin,

"Yes, I'm just trying to lift this scroll – its rather delicate,"

The kuniochi lifted another slat of wood, relieving some of the pressure on the solid wooden end of the scroll, allowing Yamato to slide it free. He could feel how incredibly delicate it was just through the feel of his fingertips; he tugged gently on the edge of it, careful to put even pressure over the edges, so that he wouldn't snap or rip open the scroll. Riika looked just as amazed as he peeled the edge away to reveal the beginnings of the first sentence;

" _'Mission allocation index...'_ " Yamato murmured, reading aloud from the scroll, "Oh!" He unravelled it further seeing the different ranks and ninja class suitable the number of nin in each class and their current status and location, Yamato looked down to the first of the list,

_Index number: 676-29A_

_Mission Class: A_

_Mission duration (approx.): Seven weeks_

_Rank suitable: Jounin_

_Specialities required/recommended, (gender req.): Tracking, undercover, hand to hand combat specialist, (male),_

_Number of suitable shinobi: 24_

_Of whom available for allocation: 7_

_Assigned shinobi:_

There were a number of such slots, ready to be detached as a cover-sheet for mission records, further down the scroll were lower ranking missions and different types of allocation – those for team-related missions of all ranks, genin missions, assassination, retrieval and many other different types, allocated by a lightly change in organisation and symbol at the top right hand corner,

"Oh! I've heard about this system! The Great Tsubimi-sama created it," Rei laughed slightly, "Apparently, there was nothing that she couldn't organise! It used to be joked that even the tides of Giima river used to listen to Tsubimi-sama for when to rise and recede!" The kuniochi continued laughing whilst Yamato hesitantly joined in, slightly confused about who she was referring to;

"Uh...Tsubimi-sama? Who was she?"

"She was the wife of the Uzushiogakure leader way back at its founding; she was one of the Senju clan, I think, and married Uzumaki Yakushi-sama as a further sign of good faith between the two clans and villages."

"Aah..." Yamato nodded, smiling lightly in understanding, "I see, this system certainly is effective... did you have a different system for reporting on missions?"

Rei looked playfully suspicious for a moment, but smiled as she again knelt to shift more concrete; "There's a lot of information one could gather by looking at those... but... essentially, yes – she organised a similar layout that was more form-like with specific set of questions about success or failure, casualties, injuries, unknown factors that were encountered, clients, country, their level of preparation in relation to what was demanded of them on the mission – things like that really, as well as a box for any extra comments. A lot easier to digest if you ask me... and to write out!" Rei rolled her eyes at her own final comment, as Yamato cocked his head slightly,

"Then, do you still use this system in your current village?" Riika turned herself to face him,

"No, not really, but our outside contact with the rest of the world is really quite limited as you might imagine, so we don't really take on many formalised missions, except general things like protection of the island."

Yamato nodded in understanding, "You know, the world has changed a lot since Uzushiogakure's destruction, why don't you rebuild the ninja village and again begin to take missions?"

She shook her head slightly, "Its not that simple, back then, there was so much fear of us and now everyone assumes that we're dead, there'll be suspicion if we suddenly pop up out of the blue and start growing in military power."

"That's true, but how long can you realistically survive here with no income? An island's resources are already limited – although its amazing you've survived this long."

She offered a rueful smile, "Something has to be done, I agree but I also agree with Gerimaru-san, that we can't advertise our existence to others until we have enough strength of fight them off."

"Fight  _who_  off? Who are you assuming your enemies are?"

"Lightning for starters – they began the destruction of us all those years ago; paranoid bastards."

Yamato felt the urge to suggest that she was the more paranoid one than the current Raikage, but he thought better how to phrase his point. "After the Fourth War, Konoha and Kumo became fairly close allies and we have some strong trade links with them – if Konoha came out in obvious support of Uzushio, then you'd be unlikely to face too much trouble,  _especially_  if you're prepared to be as transparent about your actions as a hidden village is required to be... it needn't be too much, but enough to show some good faith."

"And then what advantage will they have over us? Nu-uh, no way!" An obstinate frown settled itself on her face as she returned to her digging, leaving Yamato to sigh, silently, as he re-rolled the scroll and slipped it carefully into his pocket. If the remaining Uzu nin's were all as paranoid as Rei and Gerimaru, then there really would be no hope for their future.

All too soon, darkness began to fall and Wazishi decided to halt for the night, calling all of the Konoha nin back to where he'd set up a camp, already dinner had been caught and was cooking, in the form of a few large fish and some rice they'd brought with them as well. They were all called around and were grateful for the warmth of the fire and a rest from a long day of awkward work; Naruto, still in his exuberant mood, immediately set out all of the scrolls and other items he found – most of which were personal, journals, family histories and one with a family jutsu in, although it wasn't a fūinjutsu.

Wazishi looked just intrigued with all of the rescued items and happily explained what he could to Naruto about them, leaving Yamato, Sakura and Kakashi to talk for a short while; even though they were still too close to the remaining guards that they couldn't discuss some of the more sensitive issues, they still had a few things to clarify between them;

"Have either of you found anything promising?"

"Hai, Kakashi-sampai, I found a scroll detailing the method of allocating missions and a few others along the same vein – but they're extremely delicate – they wont survive long having been disturbed."

"You should continue to concentrate your efforts there tomorrow, try and find as much as you can, although its unlikely you'll strike gold. Sakura, anything?"

"Not really...I didn't find anything beyond a few possessions really, a bowl, a few shredded clothes... but I'm tempted to get to the far side of the river, I think we might have more luck with administration buildings over there, considering the surrounding on those sides."

Kakashi nodded in agreement, the higher terrain formed a natural barrier that would most likely be taken advantage of; "Yes, you might be right, the mountains are high and don't look to easy to climb on that side, but we'll have to get over there to check – hopefully we can start making some head-way sooner rather than later. Sakura, you and I will search the far side of the river tomorrow, you and Naruto remain on this side, Yamato."

"Hai, Kakashi-sampai, one of the guards I'm fairly friendly with has been helping me shift some of the buildings, it should make things go a little faster."

"Excellent." Kakashi was handed a small bowl of food, just as Yamato and Sakura were and swiftly dug in, neither feeling the need to say much more.

The village must really have been a beautiful place in its prime, Sakura thought as she looked out over it – the high mountains which flanked its eastern and southern sides allowed the setting sun's light to bleed through the gaps in the towering natural barrier. The kuniochi was stood on one of the docks on the side of the river, close by to the camp (she wouldn't have been allowed to go far, anyway) but she'd politely asked Wazishi if she might take a short walk to the edge of the river and, thankfully, since the elder seemed not to have much dislike of her, he allowed it.

She could still sense eyes on her, but their presence wasn't nearly as over bearing as Gerimaru had been during the day so Sakura did her best to ignore them. It was strange, being here, it gave her a sense of peace, but it was not fully restful – a strange inkling that she didn't belong, that as idylic as it was, her time to leave was a red flag in her mind. She folded her arms as she shifted her weight onto her right foot, as...  _transient_  as she felt at the moment, she couldn't seem to bring herself to leave; she seemed to hesitate a little too long and apparently company found her all too quickly,

"Were you looking for a quiet spot?"

She turned to face her former sensei, "I suppose so, I was sick of Gerimaru-san breathing down my neck," The Copy-Nin allowed a small (albeit hidden) smile to grace his masked lips as he stepped up beside her,

"I think I understand – we're very lucky that Wazishi-san has taken such a liking to Naruto... and that Yamato is such an  _amiable_  character."

Sakura turned her head to look at him – he was looking out over the same view she had just been (were he any other another man, she might think him unaware, but not Kakashi); "You and I seem to have had a knack for pissing-off the locals, ne?"

"Apparently, we do."

She could just about detect the sarcasm in his voice, "Why did Wazishi-san take such a dislike to you?"

Kakashi finally met her gaze, "I'm not sure...but it seems he doesn't hate me so much as my name..."

"Really?" She asked quickly though he merely raised an eyebrow in his classic ' _do I look like I'm joking?_ ' expression; "Heh, it seems like you really can't escape your past, can you? When it rains, it  _pours_ ," Kakashi let out a sharp breath of irritation and returned his eyes to the mountainous silhouette; "...Sorry...I didn't mean-"

"Its fine." He lapsed into silence, but as quickly as his irritation brewed, it dissipated, "I just... wish I had some answers to all the questions..." A small frown of confusion played on her face,

"Questions? What do you mean?"

"...Ah...I...came across some evidence suggesting some familial connection to Uzushiogakure."

"...Seriously? Whoa...I didn't see that coming... how strong are the ties?" Her voice was honestly curious enough that he opened his mouth minutely to answer, but Kakashi caught himself and instead gave merely a nonchalant shrug – he'd already said far more than necessary, why tell her? What benefit could it be? "Did you ever previously suspect any connection?"

He remained stock still, with his hands in his pockets; Sakura remained expectant for a moment, but remembered his private nature, "...I didn't mean to pry," She turned around ready to head back, "I think I'm going to return to the camp... hopefully Naruto and Yamato-sampai have buttered up the Wazishi-san and the others enough that I can get some sleep without being hassled by Gerimaru." She couldn't help rolling her eyes at the prospect, even though he couldn't see it. Although he remained silent and still, his posture relaxed slightly, telling Sakura enough.

* * *

The next day, they proceeded as discussed and Sakura, Kakashi and a number of guards headed to the eastern side of Uzushiogakure to begin searching for more administrative buildings and libraries likely to contain jutsu scrolls. Kakashi wandered off as he made a swift scan of all he could see, following down the paths roughly cleared of rubble he drifted further and further away from where Sakura was. His eye scanned lazily from one crumpled building to another, this eastern side was more heavily over grown with plants and a number of trees, there seemed to be so much less to discern by sight alone than on the western bank; Kakashi wasn't sure what it was, but something bothered him about this part of Uzu. He continued to walk slowly, beneath a large tree, it overhanging branches cast long shadows in the bright, but weak sunlight and something caught the observant nin's eye – he stepped further up closer to the crumpled building tucked away at the far side of the village. It took Kakashi a moment to realise what he was looking at, the crest was identical to ones on the back of the scroll from his father's study: that was the Hatake family symbol.

The Copy Nin heard one of the guards footsteps behind him and he immediately swivelled and fixed his eyes on an adjacent building and busied himself, slowly heading away from the crushed Hatake home; his mind was whirring, however, he hadn't thought that there was anything as concrete as a  _building_  to find in Uzushio. He was aware there wasn't really a 'clan' per se, but even so, it was odd seeing the symbol so openly displayed – and what his father must have thought about either the name or himself that Kakashi had never even  _seen_  the symbol until he revisited his childhood home? Kakashi was eager to explore the ruins of the house but instinct told him it probably wouldn't be a good idea to advertise its existence – especially since they seemed not appreciate even Kakashi's presence. He wondered what, if anything he could possibly find – an obvious connection to Uzushiogakure?

He found himself cynically expecting to be given only more questions that he couldn't begin to answer but he had at least been given an opportunity to discover more information and – whether it turned out to be helpful or otherwise – the worst he could do would be to ignore it. Having put enough distance that he was comfortable with, between himself and the remains of the concrete bearing his family symbol, he knelt again to begin to dig through another pile of rubble absently clearing aside the roots which had grown through whilst he subconsciously searched for more family symbols.

 

Wazishi walked slowly down one of the side streets on the south-eastern edge of Uzu, his gait was slow, a result of stiff joints for having to sleep in a hammock the night before – being well into his second century of life was finally catching up to him. The elderly Uzu nin had to admit, he'd been really quite surprised at the fact that Naruto seemed more enthralled with finding diaries and the remaining personal effects than he was about finding the jutsu he claimed to be searching for. Wazishi wasn't quite sure what to make of it – his instincts telling him not to take it at face value, although Naruto was not an easy boy to dislike – not to mention that his face (although he occasionally tried to hide it) showed all of his emotions clearly, something most ninja had long lost the ability to do.

"You called for me, Kenjin-san?" Gerimaru appeared at his side,

"Hai, I did... tell me, what are your current thoughts on Naruto-kun?" Wazishi asked, Gerimaru scrunched his eyebrows slightly,

"Why are you asking? ...Kenjin-san." Wazishi met eyes with his subordinate for a moment, noting the momentary lapse in respect from him, but waited nonetheless; "Uh..well...he seems a bit strange, why was he getting so excited about some girl's diary? He sounds like a bit of a f-"

"Easy... But it is odd. Why do you think he'd be so concerned about it?"

"An ulterior motive?"

"It is possible," Wazishi dug around in his pocket for his pipe and tobacco, "I take it nothing unusual was found in their weapons pouches or bags?"

"No, aside from one or two summoning scrolls, but they held nothing untoward – shuriken and other such things – the kuniochi held a lot unusual herbs and potions we couldn't identify," Gerimaru replied and Wazishi smiled as half raised his pipe to his lips,

"Sakura-san is a medic-nin, what do you think they were used for?"

Gerimaru barely manage to reign in his eyebrow twitch at the elder's condescending comment, hs rebuttal on his lips before he could think better of it "And claiming they are all for medicinal purposes is also a very convenient cover." Wazishi sighed lightly as he light the pipe and the first and most satisfying drag, exhaling slowly,

"You know, Gerimaru-kun, I often seek your counsel as I expect you to take over the head of the village in my stead one day, the current Uzuhsiogakure no sato needs a wise and pragmatic leader – one who is not rooted in his insecurities. Do you understand me, Gerimaru?" Wazishi slowed to a halt and turned to directly face the younger, red-haired nin,

"Are you calling me insecure?"

"You are always searching for trouble and faults where often they do not lie... a shinobi and a leader, especially, must be aware of a great many factors in any one situation but nor must he jump to conclusions. Even the Hatake understands this better then you do, I fear, Gerimaru-kun... Haaa," Wazishi turned again to look out over the ruined village, "You must learn how to control yourself, being suspicious is not the same as being aware; swift judgement clouds the mind. Many times have I taught you these lessons, yet you still resist them – am I such a bad teacher?"

"N-no its just..."

"I don't want a lie, I want you to grow up – I know you and many of your generation have already been given a lot to be bitter about, in truth,  _every_  shinobi has been given plenty to be bitter about, but you can't rely on that forever, you can't hide behind what the other nations did to Uzushiogakure for the rest of your life. These Leaf nin who've come here to us are good people, even that Hatake is not quite as...  _distasteful_  as his name suggested he'd be but, personal grudges aside, we've been lucky with them and let's face it, we could have had to deal with another  _you!_ " Wazishi chuckled lightly at Gerimaru's frown;

"They might seem friendly, but its short sighted to begin underestimating them."

"Well, of course! Why else do you think you and your team is here?"

 

The day was tortuously long for Kakashi and, as he expected, it yielded no further steps towards their goal – many more scrolls, books and varying personal items, but none relating to the Hakke no Fūin Shiki [eight trigrams] – in fact, the only scroll relating to a sealing jutsu relating to a form of the Fūka Hōin [fire sealing].

It was no where near as advanced enough to be on any use (not to mention, they had knowledge of such sealing methods in Konoha) Kakashi wasn't sure whether to feel worried or slightly relieved they were no closer to the jutsu there were after.

For this, in turn, gave Kakashi more time he knew he needed to explore – he did his best to act much as usual that evening at dinner, desperate not to draw any untoward suspicion to himself and by the time they all slowly readied themselves for bed, Kakashi had to physically resist the urge to pace in his anxiousness, as unusual as it was for the generally level-headed nin, he had to admit, he was more excited than he'd been for years.

He had absolutely no idea what time it was, but sleep was nowhere to be found – not that Kakashi had been planning on sleeping, he'd waited for a long time and calculated perfectly the right moment. He was on his feet in seconds and darted over to just behind the guard, waiting for the nin to sense his presence and turn to face it; the second Hishima looked into Kakashi's sharingan eye, the genjutsu was cast.

The Uzu nin, having been fooled into forgetting having seen Kakashi (and now not able to see him at all) looked around for a few moments, confusedly, before turning back to his post; the Copy Nin darted away and made a bee-line into the centre of Uzu to cross the river and then on for the crumbled home bearing his family crest.

..

.


	5. No Valour, No Glory, Nothing To Celebrate In Song And Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! I've been eagerly anticipating this chapter since I decided to continue SC as a full story beyond a one-shot – I hope you like it as much as I! And about the title...I know...I know, I was watching Star Trek again ^-^ ...(if you're interested, it was Voyager 6x03 – 'The Barge of The Dead' – a wonderful episode about Klingon afterlife mythology!) Also: I hope that you will understand the necessary artistic license within this chapter, especially!

" _Umika? ...Umi-chan?" He reached out to tug, very gently on a lock of her silver hair, "Talk to me, Umi-chan," The woman span around on her heel with a raised, clenched fist – matching vein pops on it and her forehead,_

" _Don't call me that! How many times have I told you?"_

" _Apparently one time too few... what's wrong, Umi...ka?" He tried again; she pursed her lips slightly, at the fact he almost used the nickname she hated so much, but relented and turned away from him again, looking out over her home village, her arms folded across her chest. The young man sighed lightly, he didn't like it when she was in these sorts of moods – it always meant something bad._ " _You need to talk to me, Umika, maybe I can help," She shifted slightly, her discomfort obvious,_

" _You can't help with this, Fuyu-kun, not this one," Her voice was more tentative than usual for the fiery kuniochi; must mean something really bad. He stepped around to get in front of her,_

" _Please tell me – what's going on?"_

_She eventually locked eyes with him,_ " _They've finally come to an agreement on date, time, place and...who."_

_Fuyu narrowed his eyes slightly and cocked his head to the side,_ " _I don't understand."_

" _For the chakra sealing, they decided on the...finer details,"_

_Realisation dawned on the shinobi,_ " _No...no, they haven't," She offered a sad smile of confirmation, "Umika!" He looped his arms around her, and tugged her close, she eventually relented and unfolded her arms to better accept his embrace, sagging into him slightly, "When did they decide this?"_

" _This morning, they called me in just after breakfast."_

" _Shit," He whispered, feeling her breath of laughter on his neck,_

_"I suppose I should be excited, its supposed to be an honour, after all."_

" _You don't believe that! Everyone they've tried this on has died! Honour-bullshit, this is only for their arrogance!" He leaned back, gripping her upper arms,_

" _It doesn't matter whether you think its bullshit – they've decided and there's nothing,_ nothing _I or anyone else can do about it. I... I don't want this either, but..." She faltered and he tugged her back close to him;_

" _I'll go and talk to Yakushi – I'll_ make _him change his mind!"_

" _No! You know what he thinks of you – you'll only alert him to 'us' if you go and make a scene! And if you push him, he'll throw you in jail... and then... I might never..."_

" _But I have to try!"_

" _I said no! You idiot!" She leaned back, gripping the lapels of his kimono in her frustration, "You know what'll happen if you push the Kenjin-san and I will be forced into this procedure no matter who objects, and if that's the case, I would like to spend what might potentially be my last days with the man I...I-" He raised an eyebrow as she faltered and fell silent; she couldn't be more clear in her actions, the way she looked at him and her silent words told him countless times, but for whatever reason (her pride, he suspected) meant she'd never stated how she felt about him in directly – or verbally. Fuyu didn't like it and one day he_ would _coax the words out of her, but here and now wasn't the time for another one of those arguments; he sighed and pressed his forehead to hers,_

" _Then what am I supposed to do?"_

" _Don't leave me alone..."_

" _I... shit," Fuyu pulled back, as did Umika, sensing the approaching shinobi, they immediately – although reluctantly – put some distance between them. An age-mate of theirs appeared on the solid ground behind them,_

" _Umika-san, what is he doing here?"_

_She shrugged without bothering to meet the recent arrival's eyes,_ " _Last I heard anyone could come and stand on this dock."_

" _You know you're not allowed to see him, you wouldn't have been meeting here for a secret rendezvous, would you?" The slightly elder male sneered watching both nonchalant backs, "Well, it doesn't matter even if you were – Yakushi-sama has given me permission, Umika, in fact, he thinks its a great idea, can you guess?" She didn't respond, "You will be my wife, Ashaya Umika – we will marry in seven months – its been confirmed and nothing will change this." He watched in pleasure as he could see the tension ripple through Fuyu;_

" _I assume you didn't think to_ ask _me about this, Wazishi?" She span on her heel, the anger written all over her was deep seated;_

" _What was there to ask? If this procedure works, then your progeny will be very powerful and its fitting that you marry an equally powerful shinobi to ensure the strength of the next generation," A disgusted expression crossed her face, "Aren't you going to say anything?"_

" _...I'm starting to hope that I don't survive the procedure."_

" _Don't say that, you've been chosen for your especially strong life-force and ability to manipulate chakra," Wazishi blandly stated the fixed reasons as though he were reading a shopping list;  
_

" _And it takes nearly all of that life force to survive a conversation with you, get lost!"_

" _I won't have my future wife ordering me around like that-" Umika suddenly disappeared in a moment and reappeared in front of Wazishi driving her fist forward, the male managed to block her punch but her second hand flew in without missing a beat and gripped his wrist. Skilled in chakra manipulation as she was, she began to pour her chakra into him, beginning to burn and denature the cells in his lower arm crushing the chakra pathways closest to the surface, he grunted lightly in pain as he reached for his short sword. Throwing another punch at him, she released her grip on his wrist which threw him backwards a good few feet,_

" _You think you have strength to rival me? Pathetic."_

_Wazishi narrowed his eyes, as he had to resist shaking his left wrist, feeling the nasty burning through his flesh; Umika tsked at him in revulsion and disappeared in a small poof of smoke._ _Fuyu also turned to slowly walk away, not quite daring himself to start on the Uzumaki, lest he succumb to the urge to kill him;_

" _You're such an idiot... she's mine and always has been, you really think you can compete with me?"_

_Fuyu turned to meet the red-head's eyes, his own narrowing in disdain,_ " _She is_ not _yours, and she never will be – you're a pathetic grub of a shinobi, Wazishi."_

_The Uzumaki grabbed the collar of his kimono,_ " _You, you worthless Hatakes are all the same – selfish, stupid... that's why you'll always be subservient, it was on a sympathy vote you got into the academy – your parents weren't even nin! And then, you really proved your worth, didn't you?" Fuyu ripped himself free of Wazishi's grasp immediately formed hand seals, and his fingertips glowed and crackled with electricity; Wazishi only just managed to leap backwards just as the edge of his haori was singed away._

" _Stop this, now, both of you. Wazishi, Fuyu," Both nin stepped out of their defensive stances and back upright as an elder nin appeared out of nowhere,_

" _Fuyu you should know better than to use such a dangerous jutsu on an ally – and Wazishi, you should know better than to provoke your comrades. I'm tired of your childish arguments... Wazishi, Yakushi-sama wishes to speak with you."_

" _Hai, Saichiko-san," The red-head nodded and bowed as the elder turned to remaining nin;_

" _As a Chuunin of Uzushiogakure, you should know better, Fuyu..." Saichiko's disapproving tone told it all,_

" _I wouldn't not have killed him,"_

" _Just given him a good scar?"_

" _I despise the way he talks about Umika like a possession!"_

_Saichiko sighed lightly and turned as though ready to leap away,_ " _...You should not care so much about how he talks to his fiancée. But, Yakushi-sama will talk to him." Fuyu grunted his dislike of Saichiko's answer as the elder Uzumaki darted away._

* * *

_He hated this, really hated it. He hated how powerless he was to help her, to change the situation; he hated, now, how stupid he'd been back then – and how it meant his uselessness now. He regretted everyday his stupidity and naiveté of his early twenties, but back then, he couldn't grasp how his current actions could possibly have impacted his future – if he had, maybe he wouldn't have been quite so short sighted...maybe he wouldn't be having to watch the one he loved suffer her unfair circumstances._

_He sighed as he thought back to the mission which had cost him more that he'd ever thought possible; it was his first solo A rank – he'd just become a Jounin and was still hot headed and eager to prove his confidence was justified; an enemy nin was suspected to have stolen the jutsu scroll of Uzu's more secretive and powerful sealing techniques which remained as something of a trump card for the Hidden Village. So Fuyu had been sent out to track and kill the enemy nin before retrieving the scroll – the Hatake had been excited for his first mission, but, he'd thought it was a controlled excitement; he'd left early and his tracking had gone well, so that before he knew it, he was only a few hours behind the nin._

_That was when he'd started to get careless – in the subtlest of ways, of course, he began to underestimate his enemy, he found traps too easily and didn't consider that they'd been set on purpose. He'd thought he was doing a wonderful job of close-range tracking of the enemy nin – he was preparing his first strike of an electric current and was currently tying a length of wire around a shuriken as he suddenly felt the sharp point of a kunai pressed to his back,_

" _What's this? A genin? I don't like games of hide-and-seek,"_

" _You think I'm a genin? Very funny," Fuyu suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a clump of straw behind as he threw his wire disciplined shuriken towards the enemy nin but he was too fast and he vanished in a blur of movement. Fuyu left the shuriken embedded in a tree and gave the wire a long rein and faced the nin who was flashing through hand seals before a clone rose up from the earth and charged to the Uzu nin. He waited for the clone to close in as he carefully composed his chakra, he dodged initially and exchanged kicks and punches with the clone before ducking away and coiling the wire around it, sending a surge of electricity down the wire and nullifying the bunshin so that it swiftly crumbled to dust;_

" _So you're a lightening type? Interesting," The enemy nin gave a twisted grin as he darted forward and thrust a punch at Fuyu, who dodged and returned with a kick – they continued to battle in taijutsu only for a few minutes; the Uzu nin made the foolish mistake of grinning as he managed to push the enemy Iwa back towards his shuriken. In a sudden flash of movement, Fuyu flipped his loop of wire up and around his enemy, who'd caught it between his hands – Fuyu thought he'd won as he sent his chakra down the wire, but he'd underestimated his opponent so didn't see the counteracting blast of wind natured chakra returning through the same path and forced the electricity to return the way it came, electrocuting the Uzu._

_Fuyu remembered no more until he awoke with a medic nin hunched over him; the team-leader for the retrieval mission scathingly informed him of how he'd failed – allowing the nin to escape with the original, secret jutsu scroll, all of Fuyu's weapons and scrolls (which were mostly of the average weapons sorts, although one was a valuable self-summoning seal – where a nin could place it in a safe location to escape in a pinch – something unique to Uzu). As Fuyu was a new Jounin and Uzushiogakure being among the smallest of the ninja villages, the tactical information the Iwa nin had taken from Fuyu and Uzushio, was thus immensely significant._

_The anger of his rescue team was mirrored by the rest of the village and Yakushi – he faced a nasty disgrace for allowing such valuable information to escape with one of Uzu's most hated enemies; he was shamed and demoted for acting so foolishly and underestimating his opponent. With growing political tensions and relatively few competent ninja meant that the entire village felt the loss deeply – new jutsu would have to be created or otherwise strengthened to compensate for what the enemy now knew (or could easily guess) including standard tactics of approach and tracking._

_Fuyu had once held the respect and regard of Yakushi but that had long since dissipated and the Kenjin-san now held nothing but contempt for him – if there was one things the elder hated above almost all else, it was carelessness and Fuyu had been the epitome of such a quality. He couldn't remember the last person who truly trusted him or thought he was still of value to Uzushio... except maybe Umika. And why he hated his powerlessness now...Yakushi may have learned to tolerate him, but the Hatake would not be allowed to make suggestions or to be as presumptuous as the situation would demand if he were to fight the elder's decision._

_He was as useless as an academy student now – and trusted with as little as they were... and he hated it more than anything, just as he regretted it more than anything._

_..._

_Umika could feel his presence approach but he didn't come too close, remaining instead a few meters away, his own presence was carefully hidden, but it wasn't enough to hide from her. The kuniochi opened her eyes and rose to her feet, the water rippling out from around her,_

" _Why do you always meditate on the water?" He asked and she turned to face him,_

" _Its relaxing to focus on the flow of chakra, especially when its in a simple and repetitive pattern... they won't be pleased to find you here."_

_"Bah," He appeared out from under the leaves and leapt onto the surface of the water, "The procedure is being carried out tomorrow morning and I haven't seen you much this month."_

" _I've been...busy."_

" _You've also been avoiding me." He spoke faltly but without accusation: just stating a fact. She shrugged and looked somewhat non-committal as Fuyu gripped her hand and led her away from the already secluded lake; he seemed a little irritated and it was something she was very unused to from him. Over the past month, she'd needed to prepare for her sealing, more specifically manipulating her chakra and raising her awareness of it, in readying her system to accept a injection of new chakra. She had no idea where it'd come from, but she had been told it was a chakra that had a near perfect balance of Yin and Yang and was one that could, in theory, if manipulated properly, allow a user to gain mastery over any and all jutsu – elemental or not._

_Since Uzushiogakure was home to ninja who specialised in non-elemental jutsu _–_  and hence had a very good understanding of its principles – they believed it fundamentally underpinned all types of jutsu. The Yin/Yang transformation, as far as they understood, relied on the amounts of and the balance between the physical and spiritual energies within chakra. They had tried to inject this chakra into other shinobi before, but the introduction of such turbulent and strong alien chakra into an already stable system proved only disaster; they were convinced that this time, it would work – as all fanatics are – primarily due to Umika's exceptional chakra control abilities (although her incredible life force helped a great deal)._

_This time, they thought, she would be able to direct and control the flow through her pathways correctly and swiftly enough that it would begin to attack the pathways in the way a jutsu would an opponent; they'd been convinced that the reason it failed before was because the surrogate nin couldn't control the chakra well enough to get it moving and so it ended up blocking and corroding the normal pathways, eventually preventing enough chakra being drawn from the inherent source to keep the body alive._

_Even so, Umika was resentful – if she were to undergo the procedure and allowed to continue her life as an active nin for the village, she might be a little less bitter, but since she was being forced into marriage immediately after – and no doubt from then to produce as many children as possible with a man she hated, she was not exactly motivated to do her best to survive the injection. She was tempted to seek out Yakushi-sama and talk to him, but Wazishi had his ear, essentially, what could her opinion possibly do?_

_She'd had arguments with him in the past and she was not someone he liked; she was certain that his contempt would mean he would listen only to Wazishi and assume that her objections would be seen simply as her often obstinate nature. She supposed she could refuse and do her best to disappear from Uzu, but where would she go? What would be the point? She felt trapped in a way she never had done before – she couldn't see purpose to following either road. For a long time she'd held no love for Uzushio – or its methods, but remained for few reasons other than the fact it was her home, and, extremely troublesome to leave, no to mention that he was also the one person she enjoyed being with. It hadn't truly been personal before – but it was now..._

" _Umi-chan?"_

" _What?"_

" _I've been thinking," Fuyu sat them down once they'd reached the edge of the precipice overlooking the mountain lake, a quiet spot often used by her for meditation – or to meet with Fuyu, "Once the procedure is over, we should leave here...escape and go else where," He was speaking more quietly than she'd ever really known him to, and his was careful to keep his mouth covered as he spoke; Umika sighed lightly and dragged a hand through her long, unruly silver hair, tugging out the hair-band which kept it in check, she bent her head down, making sure no one could read her lips,_

" _Go where? How could we possibly leave? I hate the fact I'm supposed to marry Wazishi, but I don't see an alternative."_

_"As far as I'm concerned, Umi-chan, the only man you'll ever marry, is me." He rebutted, to which she frowned, greatly unimpressed,_

" _Even if we were free to choose for ourselves, what makes you think I'd say 'yes'? Or have any interest in marrying anyone?" He gave an unashamedly dismissive snort at her tone,_

" _That's just you being stubborn. The point is, I'm certain we could make it out of here. Konoha are allies and would take us in, war is beginning to brew and Uzushiogakure will have its hands full – they'll think they'll still have control because we're in an allied nation but its not true – especially with the fact that they've wanted to be secretive about the chakra thing, they won't make a great big scene!_

_"We cannot stay here, Umika, I hate that this might be my last day with you and I hate even more, that if its not, then I'll have to watch you marry another man – especially one I despise much! The truth is, I've been thinking about leaving for a long time, its not as if anyone will miss me, but you kept me here, especially after you told me about what they were planning with the chakra-injection-thing." He said, Umika rolled her eyes at his lack of interest at learning technical names for things which weren't directly necessary - like anything other than jutsu._

" _I don't know, I'll still need time to get used to the chakra and try to manipulate it and train with it – I might well not be able to perform any jutsu at all, then we wouldn't get very far, would we?"_

" _Then we'll have to plan it – there's six months between now and the wedding, right?"_

" _Hai,"_

" _Then there'll be time, they'll want you to practice and try to learn how to use the chakra anyway and if it goes well and you survive then you'll be more powerful than any other shinobi here."_

" _That's short sighted! Even if I can manipulate the chakra, it would take me years – maybe decades to fully control it enough to be as powerful as you're suggesting."_

" _Umika, we are going to leave here; I cannot stand by as they force you into that marriage, I cannot. Please, Umika, I will be leaving here one way or another, come with me."_

_She thought for a moment – she knew how unlikely it was to work, but the rebel in her wanted to leave so badly, and with Fuyu, just as she couldn't stand the thought of giving Wazishi any satisfaction by submitting to his plans even if it didn't work, it was worth making the effort for even the slimmest chance that she might be able to live a life of her choosing – and even more so that she might be able to screw over Wazishi._ " _...All right, we'll do it. If I survive tomorrow, we'll start making plans it's not gonna be easy, we'll have a lot more difficulty meeting."_

" _Don't worry, Umi-chan we'll figure it out, now, come to mine?" He rose to his feet, and extended his hand down to her, which she took and he lifted her to her feet; "I'm not ready to say goodbye now and you don't really want to spend your last night alone, do you?"_

_She shook her head,_ " _No, no I don't."_

_He tugged her closer and pressed his lips against hers, gently at first but it quickly descended into a more passionate tangling of tongues, urgent with the limited time weighing heavily on them._

* * *

_One thing that always surprised outsiders about Uzushiogakure, was its lack of finesse; for some reason, everyone always assumed that the Hidden Eddy was a village of enlightenment and refinement, but it wasn't. More often than not, Umika found that the exact opposite was true – brute force was a favoured tactic and used regularly. As she lay on the table, straps over her arms, legs and waist as three medic nins approached brandishing a huge needle; normally, medics, needles and other such medicinally associated activities didn't particularly bother her, but in this instance, the nins bearing down on her, masks covering their lower faces, was beginning to make her feel as though she'd been abducted by aliens._

_They swabbed at the points on her bare stomach, fingertips, neck and various other points where the main pathways ran close to the skin. The bulk of the chakra would be injected to her core chakra reserve, just above her belly-button and other, residue traces to the smaller pathways; the chakra within the barrel of the needle looked like a strange sort of highly viscous fluid, that, even whilst being jostled by movement, only a few ripples breached its calm. It also glowed an ethereal silver-white with an innocent sort of twinkling,_

" _I though you were going to apply the chakra directly, using my hands as conduits."_

" _No, we decided that would be too risky and then you'll have to concentrate on two chakra manipulations at once, but by adding a base – a medium for it to cling to which will naturally be broken down by your body, will allow you to focus on the main task of adapting the chakra to your own...now hold still, this is a very delicate step," The main medic-nin positioned the largest 'dose' of liquid-like chakra above her stomach and waited for confirmation of the others, all of whom had positioned their needles; the pain of being pierced by the needle was minimal compared tot he pain she'd endued through her career as a kuniochi, but it was an irritating, persistent pain._

_It was nothing like, however, the pain of having another chakra forced into her system; usually, if she concentrated, she was able to feel her natural flowing of chakra, always in a different but somehow familiar way. But the new chakra was exceptionally unnatural and invasive it was difficult to resist the urge to push out the foreign chakra; but she focussed and forced her chakra to slow and mingle with the silvery-white stuff. The pain was strong but odd, akin to having pulled a muscle or sprained a ligament – it was deep seated and pervasive, if she moved or tried to further manipulate her chakra, it chased, biting at her heels._

_The restraints were beginning to feel choking and claustrophobic, like she needed to escape somehow as the pain began to well and consume her focus, that she could no longer concentrate on the voices of the nins around her. But instead the urge to give in and allow the chakra to overwhelm her, Umika resisted and forced her own chakra to keep moving through her pathways as best she could, but it wasn't enough to keep herself in control as her muscles began to spasm and tense in a vain effort to bring her back to reality._

* * *

_He was determined to find that damned Hatake and make him pay. To hell with the consequences. Wazishi strode down the raised wooden platform, determined to have his way,_

" _Yakushi-sama? May I have a few moments?"_

_The elder man turned to face the younger and nodded,_ " _Of course, Wazishi-kun, what's on your mind?"_

" _Hatake,"_

" _What about him?" Yakushi sighed lightly,_

" _I want him sent on a year-long mission,"_

" _And why do you want that?" Yakushi raised an eyebrow, feigning ignorance over the long-standing problem,_

" _He's too close to Umika, I don't like it...they're still seeing each other."_

" _So you came to me to tell on them?" Yakushi dryly responded, resisting the urge to laugh at Wazishi's embarrassed but angry expression,_

" _No! But they're not allowed to see each other – he's not supposed to be so close to my wife."_

" _She isn't yours yet. Tell me something, do you love her?"_

_He looked a little surprised,_ " _...Yes, why?"_

_"And you'd still 'love' her if she and Fuyu had never met?"_ _Wazishi's look of confusion didn't fade as he tried to read between Yakushi's words, "I never see you and Umika together – you barely even speak, yet you claim to 'love' her? I'd be more tempted to think you have a relationship with Fuyu considering how often you spend arguing with him... Umika has done exceptionally well in adapting to the chakra, but it hasn't been easy. Fuyu has helped immensely in training her, which was needed, although I can't say I like them being together so much, the greater need for Umika's training takes precedence, but you, Wazishi haven't done anything. All of my supervising Jounin report that you interrupt their training to start a fight with Fuyu, ignoring Umika completely... I'm starting to regret giving you permission to marry her."_

" _W-what? No! You can't–!" Wazishi began to protest but_ _Yakushi looked at him sharply,_

" _I am disappointed in you, Wazishi, I'd always hoped for you to take over the village in my stead, one day, the village needs a wise and strong leader, one who is not rooted in his insecurities do you understand me, Wazishi?" The younger nin resisted the scowl, "Uzushiogakure no Sato needs a_ man _to rule and guide it._ "

" _I am not insecure-"_

" _Really? Then why are you so concerned with Fuyu?" Yakushi challenged though Wazishi quickly fell silent and averted his eyes to the floor; "I am postponing the marriage for a further year."_

_"What? Yakushi-sama, you cannot – what about the chakra? What about her children, they would be strong and she should be made to-"_

" _Wazishi, what you are suggesting is little more than slavery – she is an Uzushiogakure shinobi and this procedure has been wonderfully successful, we need her rapidly growing strength for our military might. War is beginning to brew and we will need her abilities – which will not happen if you have her chained up raising children, yes progeny are important and we will need her to potentially create a unique bloodline, but that will be in a good few years and, I would hate to think Umika has been forced into this. You_ did _discuss it with her, didn't you?" He carefully noted that Wazishi didn't meet his eyes; Yakushi was often irritated by Umika's obstinacy, but she was a strong character and one whom he did have respect for._

" _...Yes."_

" _Go and discuss it with her again, when I am satisfied that she has willingly agreed –_ without _any coercion or bribery – when I can see she genuinely wishes to marry you, then I will permit the union, in one year from now."_

" _But...Yakushi-sama...you-" The elder gave him a sharp look,_

" _Fight me one more time on this, and I will deny you permission permanently." Wazishi's mouth snapped shut with a near audible click,_

" _Hai, Yakushi-sama," Wazishi bowed low, allowing a lock of his hair flopping forward into his face, only irritating the younger nin more;_

" _You are dismissed and Wazishi?" The nin paused in his step, his back still turned to his Kenjin-san, "If I hear of another fight between you and Fuyu, I will not let it slide, do you understand me?"_

" _Hai, Yakushi-sama."_

…

_Umika struggled to keep a straight face at his antics – she wasn't even sure if they were purposeful, but they certainly were amusing. He'd been demonstrating a technique which was a combination of wires and gymnastics – 'strange, yes,' He'd said, 'but will prove an incredible asset to you, especially if you use it as a last resort, besides, it doesn't require chakra,' she'd raised an eyebrow in scepticism but he'd tried to assure her with a demonstration... something he'd still yet to accomplish._

_She wondered, vaguely, if this was how he became such a good dancer, still, right now, it was more as though he was using his gymnastic ability to attempt to escape the wires Fuyu had managed to tangle himself in. He was probably doing it on purpose, she thought, and she certainly did need cheering up; she'd done her best to hide it, but Fuyu always was perceptive and he probably saw that something was off the moment he set eyes on her. That was what made him an excellent shinobi, his ability to read body-language – and today was a day she couldn't hide any longer;_

" _Fuyu-kun, would you like to call this a draw?"_

" _Huh?" He looked up from his struggling in the tangled mess of wires, "What do you mean a draw? Its wasn't a fight, only a demonstration!" She raised an eyebrow, although unable to resist her lips twitching into a smile,_

" _Are you sure?" She said through a breath of laughter, he scowled slightly and slowly untangled himself, sitting up as he rubbed over his upper arm where one of the wires had coiled tightly enough to begin digging into the skin; he saw her smile fade,_

" _I'd ask you what's wrong, but..." His eyes averted to the bottom right as a silent signal he was well aware of their observer,_

" _Don't worry, he's under genjutsu."_

" _What?" He made sure to keep his face fairly passive, but he was surprised, "He would have noticed,"_

" _No, I am still directing their chakra. Its very subtle though, only enough that Sachiko's mis-reading our lips and body language,"_

" _For how long?"_

" _Since I walked over, the longer I keep it, the more likely he will be to notice,"_

" _Then talk to me...what is it?"_

" _...Uh...I, um..."_

_Fuyu frowned, he wasn't used to her stuttering,_ " _Just say it-"_

" _I'm pregnant."_

" _What!-?" No amount of shinobi training could contain his surprise, "Wh-how? Are you sure? Is it... m-mine?" She couldn't resist slapping him upside the head for his last comment,_

" _Of course, Fuyu-no-baka! And I wouldn't be saying any of this if I wasn't sure! Shit, its going to show soon and then..." She averted her eyes from him,_

" _We'll leave soon, then, but not before a celebration tonight!" The confusion playing on her face was enough, "This is a wonderful thing, Umi-chan!"_

" _Don't you get it? This is terrible! This is..." She sighed for a moment, doing her best to regain her calm, "We'll talk more later, Fuyu," She slowly rose to her feet and dispelled the genjutsu on the Jounin watching them, "All right, Fuyu, I think I understand, I'll give it a try," She tugged out a long length of wire and began to carefully tie the end to a shuriken before she darted backwards, flipping the wire around her as she went. Working around the wire in such a fashion was more challenging than she'd thought and it didn't take long for her to catch her ankle and trip herself over; Fuyu was by her side a second later,_

" _You're probably a bit tired, practice with it and we'll meet in two days, as normal." He untied her ankle and rose to his feet, just as she did,_

" _Hai, thank you for training with me today," He offered his typical smile and they went their separate ways, just like every time they trained – the other Jounin and Yakushi had been strangely tolerant of their training together, so long as that was all it was, they made clear, no fraternisation or unnecessary conversation. As much as neither liked having to pretend to be strangers, it was better than not being allowed to see each other at all; besides, they'd learned to read each other and could communicate well, albeit fairly simply in close-quarters combat. They met again that night, as often they did, at random intervals and locations; Fuyu was earlier than she expected and he met her with a few heated kisses,_

" _I couldn't wait, how are you?"_

" _All right, I suppose," She answered noncommittally as he took a seat on one of her zabuton, resting his back against a wall and tugged her down to sit between his legs, "What are we going to do? They'll kill you when they discover you're the father..."_

" _You worry too much, Umi-chan. I won't allow you to deny me as the father and I will_ not _allow them to take you away from me. I know I'm dreadfully simple-minded but I'm not a bad ninja and I will protect you and our child – no matter what," She leaned a little closer to him, "Besides, Konoha will be more willing to take us in, now, they won't turn away a woman with child."_

" _We're more likely to be allowed in, but, what about Wazishi? They might try and pretend it isn't yours and make me marry him a lot sooner,"_

" _That is not happening, now especially, we'll just have to leave a lot sooner. I guess this happened the last time we..?"_

_She shook her head,_ " _No, that night before my chakra transfer..."_

" _So that was...nearly four months ago! Kami-sama why didn't you say so before?"_

_She turned herself slightly, more with her back to him,_ " _I was...scared..."_

_He tugged her a little closer, enough to rest his chin on her shoulder, and his head lightly against hers as he slid a hand over her stomach;_ " _Of what?"_

" _I was-I am in big trouble, Fuyu... of all things to happen, I was sure that I done the jutsu properly, Kami-sama, I'm not ready to be a mother to anybody! Not to mention the situation I'm in now, with the chakra and Wazishi and I thought, what if you didn't... what if, you were scared off?"_

" _Eh? 'Scared off'?" He lifted his head up and squeezed her a little tighter, "I didn't think you had so little faith in me, Umika! How could you think I'd desert you? After everything that's happened over the past few months, years even, there's nothing that could happen to make me want to leave you." He could guess her remaining scepticism and worry, "...Do you love me, Umi-chan?"_

" _Of course I do, Fuyu-kun."_

" _Then there's nothing to worry about – we've trained hard over the past few months and your genjutsu abilities will be a powerful asset,we can leave any time, Umika, and the sooner the better, I think,"_

_She nodded as she turned around in his grasp, to kneel in front of him,_ " _I'm still worried."_

" _If you weren't worried, then you wouldn't be Umi-chan!" He grinned at her scowl,_

" _Damn you still calling me that!"_

…

" _What are you doing? You've been acting very suspiciously all day."_

_Fuyu half-turned his head in relaxed acknowledgement,_ " _So you've been following me around?"_

" _You're too close to my_ fiancée _,"_

_"She isn't yours – and she never will be," Fuyu turned to face his near life-long nemesis, schooling his expression into one of neutrality, "Get out of my way."_

" _Where are you going?"_

" _For a walk, why are you so suspicious? Maybe you should have Ikakku take a look at you to help alleviate that paranoia." Fuyu turned and walked away, well aware that he would follow, damn it was a problem that Wazishi would pick right now of all times to be such a pain – right as he was leaving to meet Umika so they could flee Uzu once and for all. He would have to play it cool and lead Wazishi away to where he could knock him out without any witnesses to alert;_

" _Look at you, running away from me, I've finally scared you off? Ha!" Fuyu halted so suddenly, Wazishi nearly walked straight into the back of him,_

" _You've never frightened me, Wazishi – you're too pathetic for that – but you do annoy me, and you are certainly not worth wasting my time or effort with, so begone!" He turned and continued to march off, finally irritating the slightly elder nin enough that he shot forward, aiming a kick to Fuyu's back – the nin only just able to dodge out of the way, gripping Wazishi's outstretched leg and whipping him around, gaining momentum before letting go, sending the red-head flying off into a large bush nearby._

_The last movement was soon followed up by a volley of shuriken flying from the undergrowth, and a livid Wazishi – with leaves and twigs sticking out of his hair – leaping from his impromptu hiding place. They exchanged a few kicks and punches before the Uzumaki sudden went rigid and stood stock still, Fuyu withdrew his fist just in time to prevent it making contact with his jaw as he stepped back, looking at Wazishi – he could swear his eyes were nearly swirling as he slowly fell backwards with the same inflexibility, flat to the floor, apparently unconscious. Fuyu looked around to see Umika leap out of a nearby tree,_

" _I nearly had him!"_

" _I don't care," The kuniochi responded, "He should remain out for about four hours, but we've got to leave,_ now _!"_

_Fuyu nodded,_ " _You're right...do you have everything? No one saw you?" She shook her head, throwing Fuyu his back-pack; they quickly darted away, having limited time in which to get as far off the island of Uzu no Kuni as possible as quickly as possible._

Kakashi allowed the scroll to slip from his fingers and drop to the floor of the dingy, half-caved in basement he was sat in beneath the rubble of the Hatake house; he'd read through all of the journals he could find, written by his grandfather, Fuyu. There was so much to take in, he'd probably need days to fully digest it all, but there was one thing that stuck clearly in his mind – failure and disgrace, it seemed was written into his very genes...Kakashi could help but wonder if he would follow, yet again, in the footsteps laid out for him.

The real question still gnawed, though, of just  _how_  would he disgrace his beloved village? How would he fail _this_  time? How would he add another stain of disgrace to his name? Yes, he'd failed Obito and Rin, but those events had not produced hatred of him by anyone other than himself – surely he was headed for a far worse dishonour. He sighed as he rose to his feet, feeling that whatever answers there were, he wasn't sure he really wanted to know...any more.

..

.

 


	6. Where Monsters Rear Their Heads

Kakashi walked slowly back through the ruined village, his mind befuddled by all of the information – he was amazed to realise that the white chakra he and his father had was from some unknown source, and had been artificially introduced to his grandmother. Perhaps that was the reason he had been able to manipulate almost every element to a high degree? In his youth he'd arrogantly assumed his natural talent was an assured gift to fit his determination, and yes, he'd thought the white hue was odd but he hadn't given it excessive deliberation as his father's was the same and, after certain events, he avoided thinking about it at all. He was now fascinated by finding out just how far Umika had developed her skills – had she mastered all the elements?

Had she become the powerful asset that Uzushio had hoped? But he had heard no word of her, no name or even any hearsay... perhaps she'd hidden her abilities for fear of Uzushiogakure learning and forcing her to return? It was certainly likely and probably a reason why the Uchiha could well have squirrelled away all information on her and subsequent mention of Hatakes – for the excessively cautious clan, she probably made them tentatively curious.

Kakashi had hidden away all of the journal scrolls on his person and carefully re-hid the basement with other building fragments before he left, the sky beginning to turn a pink-ish grey with the rising sun; the Copy Nin made sure he wasn't spotted as he returned to camp. Wazishi was up and waiting for water to boil, he gave a Kakashi a dubious look, but said nothing – before any words could be exchanged between them, Naruto awoke, sat up and gave a loud sneeze by way of salutations;

"Uuwaaah!" He yawned as he sat up, "What's for breakfast?" 

"Naruto? Were you sneezing yesterday?" Kakashi crouched next to him as the blonde looked confused for a moment,

"Huh? No, I don't think so."

"Have Sakura take a look at you when she wakes up."

Naruto pursed his lips slightly but nodded, before he rose to his feet, stretching out the stiffness in his joints. They searched again through that day and into the next one, many interesting and valuable things were discovered by the Konoha nin – journal scrolls, books, records – but unfortunately, they weren't the right sort of important. The days had been difficult and Kakashi's mood had only steadily worsened as he could feel the reality of what would happen if they never found any information on the jutsu; combined with the information that had recently been uncovered about his family really put him on edge. He wasn't used to being so unsettled – he wanted to search records again, look over what he might of missed, he even wanted to test his own chakra – now he knew more about it, he was tempted to try and see what he could accomplish if he had serious time and space to focus on the ebb and flow of his chakra. But the Copy Nin felt frustrated and cramped on the mission, where he had so much to analyse yet he also needed to keep it hidden – the others' ignorance and Wazishi's disdain meant he had only things to loose by advertising the new found knowledge.

The only thing which alleviated some of the tension was, during the third day of their search, when Naruto thought he'd found something beneath the collapsed remains of a building's wall, but couldn't lift it himself and he didn't want to risk making any more clones, so he called Sakura over. Gerimaru scoffed in the face of Naruto, who'd told the others to step back as he had done, to allow Sakura her space but the Uzumaki – the red headed, paranoid one – allowed his mouth to fall open and his eyes to grow round and saucer-like as he watched,

"Shandaroo!" The kuniochi lifted the huge slab of concrete – a good four times her size – clean above her head and threw it,  _threw_  it a number of feet to her right, clean out of their way. She turned back to the group brushing her gloved hands off and grinning,

"Thanks, Sakura-chan!" Naruto gleefully began darting off to begin to dig at the uncovered rubble, pretending that nothing out of the ordinary had happened, but had shown Kakashi his grin at the typical reaction of strangers to Sakura and her strength. That combined with Gerimaru doing his best to rein in his shocked fright, somehow made Kakashi feel at home – in the same sense he'd felt years ago, before the Fourth War, when it was he, Sakura and Naruto out on missions – it was an incredibly dangerous time but he couldn't help but think back on it fondly, realising that his students had come into their own and he could trusted them as shinobi... mostly. Their actions were so  _typical_  of them that it was comforting in such an unsettling environment.

Still, Naruto was a little under the weather, he seemed to have a cold brewing (one of the few ailments Sakura couldn't treat, much to the vindictive amusement of Gerimaru who took her display of incredible strength (and his subsequent surprise) as a personal affront, however it was he somehow rationalised it). Kakashi walked back through the village in the general direction of their camp-site whilst wishing, not for the first time, that the 'romantic' novel he'd had on himhadn't gotten soaked beyond legibility back when they first arrived on Uzu no Kuni, and he might have something to distract himself with from his miffed, but somehow tired mood.

"I think its about time we talked about what you're really after." Wazishi began as soon as he stepped up to Kakashi who had veered a little too close to the Kenjin-san as he walked around the village; the Copy-Nin had stopped immediately turned slowly back towards the Uzumaki. "What? Haven't you already wasted enough time searching for something already in your grasp?" Kakashi regarded Wazishi with suspicion,

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you're all beginning to look worried at your lack of progress, there is something you've neglected to tell me and I think its about time you did," They stared at each other for a few moments,

"Why should we?" Wazishi smiled in a way Kakashi wasn't sure he liked,

"Because I have what you're looking for,"

"You know how to perform the jutsu?" Kakashi asked and Wazishi nodded, "Will you teach me how to cast it?"

"No, I cannot allow this jutsu to leave the village again, I am prepared to perform the jutsu, however," He didn't see that one coming;

"W-what?"

Wazishi nodded carefully, "I am prepared to execute the jutsu...if you tell me what I want to know,"

"Why have you waited all this time to say this?"

"You needed to see that there was nothing here,"

Kakashi nodded, he could understand that, but intuition told him there was something more, "...But?"

Wazishi smiled slightly, "As much as I dislike you, Hatake, you are a smart man,"

"And why is it that you dislike me? Its more to do with my name and what I represent, isn't it? I would have thought, that as wise as you are, you'd be beyond such petty judgements." Kakashi measured his words carefully, well aware that Wazishi was clearly a man who valued honesty. Wazishi gently lowered himself to a seat on a nearby lump of rubble, digging around for his pipe as he did so,

"Hmm, I suppose I should be, but its not easy to let go of the past," He lifted his pipe to his lips and lit it, taking his time with the first, slow drag, "I won't say that I've misjudged you or judged you unfairly – for that I'd have to get to know you and I want no such thing, but, I will tell you why I have such disdain, are you aware of the fact that your grandparents were from Uzushiogakure?"

Kakashi nodded, not quite daring to look this apparent gift-horse in the mouth, "Hai, I'd read in some of the Konoha archive scrolls that a Hatake Fuyu and Hatake Umika emigrated to Konoha, from Uzu, some years ago,"

Wazishi nodded, slowly and all-too-purposefully allowing the smoke from his last drag to waft from his open mouth, "Hmm, then, would it surprise you to learn that Umika was supposed to be my wife, at one point, until Fuyu set his sights on her?" The elder Uzumaki watched Kakashi carefully out of the corner of his eye, noting that either he was not surprised or his emotional control was better than he'd let on.

"Umika must have had some fondness for him or she would not have left, or married him."

"Heh, if you possess a tenth of your grandfather's charm, then you should not have much trouble in obtaining a wife for yourself,"

Kakashi wasn't sure whether to laugh or raise an eyebrow at the apparent un-truth of Wazishi's words – accord, at least, to the diary scrolls. "You think he single-handedly swooped in and stole her out from under you and there was nothing you could do?"

Wazishi's eyes narrowed further as he exhaled his puff of smoke with force, a clear sign of his irritation, "Am I to assume you're as irresponsible and selfish a lover as he?"

"Its selfish to assume that it was all his fault – surely if you were a better lover, she would not have felt a need to look elsewhere for you what you couldn't provide,"

Wazishi was on his feet fairly quickly as he turned to directly face Kakashi – his expression cold, but otherwise well-disciplined, "I-"

"Kakashi!" Sakura suddenly appeared from behind Wazishi, skidding to a halt in front of the two men, halting their conversation as swiftly as she'd drawn their attention, "Its Naruto, I think the seals on the verge of complete collapse," The three nin immediately darted into action, finding themselves by a hunched-over and slightly shaking Naruto,

"Naruto, what happened?" Kakashi grabbed the younger nin's shoulder, in an attempt to get his attention,

"Ugn...dunno...just suddenly started...hurting...its like...Kurama is trying to claw his way out of me...I can't-he won't listen..."

"Kurama? What are you talking about Naruto-kun?"

"Its the name of the Kyuubi," Kakashi quickly answered just as Naruto suddenly sat back on his heels, his arms lashing out to his sides as she screamed out in pain, Kyuubi chakra beginning to form its shroud over his body, "Shit!" Kakashi span around and bowed in front of the elder Uzumaki (not  _too_  low, however), "Wazishi-san I apologise for the words I have spoken, and you may hate me if you like, but please help us reseal the Kyuubi...please..." Kakashi paused remaining bowed as Naruto fought against and soon smashed the wooden bonds Yamato had attempted to restrain him with.

"...I will certainly help you, for Naruto's sake, he is the closest thing to a grandson I'm likely to ever meet," The elder Uzumaki's eyes narrowed slightly and Kakashi returned to an upright position, revealing his sharingan at the same time he turned to face a now three-tailed miniature Kyuubi, growling and crouched ready to leap at the small group of nin – the other guards who'd accompanied them to Uzu where slowly retreating, unsure how to deal with such a monster and malicious chakra they'd never felt before.

"Please remain well back, Konoha nin, we will need to fully pull the Kyuubi from Naruto before it can be resealed-"

"But that will kill Naruto!" Sakura cut across,

"Possibly...so please be on hand to heal Naruto-kun as much as you can in the few seconds before we must re-seal the fox...Gerimaru!" Wazishi shouted as they younger red-head appeared next to him, "Have you chakra-chains ready...you'll need to hold the fox down whilst I prepare the ritual,"

"Wazishi-san, I may be able to control the fox to a degree with my sharingan," The elder Uzumaki narrowed his eyes but nodded,

"Very well, Gerimaru, pull the fox free of Naruto-kun," Gerimaru began to furiously perform a long string of hand seals, and just as Naruto had grown his fifth tail and was readying for a strike at the group, two narrow, weaving hands shot out form the red-head's upper chest and wove towards the Kyuubi, who'd been momentarily distracted by Yamato. The two hands forcefully gripped the beast slowly began to retract, the Kyuubi seemingly frozen as it cried out in a horrid, piercing shriek – seconds later, as the dust cleared, the demon-fox's full form was free and angry.

Sakura took a moment to force her legs to move – she hadn't felt such a huge concentration of malevolent chakra for as long as she could remember and it took longer than she was used to, to overcome her instinctual fear. But overcome it she did as she darted forward, aiming straight for the limp flash of orange she could see half-buried; as she raced forward, the fox latched onto her as his first target and brought his fist down.

"Sakura!" Kakashi's warning shout as she just about managed to miss the impact, but the sheer force of it flung her forward several feet, so that she ended up in a slightly tangled heap next to Naruto. Ignoring her own injuries, she immediately poured her chakra into her hands and placed them over her friend's chest,

"Come on, Naruto, I know you can make it," She whispered gently, not noticing that the fox had momentarily stopped its rampaging.

"How are the chains, Gerimaru?" Wazishi asked as he formed the complex set of seals for the Hakke no Fūin Shiki,

"They are strong, but he is stronger...he won't hold still for long," Gerimaru's knee shook slightly and he almost lost balance, but Yamato appeared at his side and kept him upright;

"Sakura! Is Naruto alive?"

"Hai...just about," She shouted back, her chakra still pouring into him, desperately trying to heal the vicious injuries the fox had inadvertently inflicted upon him – there wasn't much she could do about the chakra depletion, but if he'd survived this as a newborn, then surely he could survive it in his weakened state,

"Then get out of the way," She reluctantly did as asked, darting away to a good ten meter distance, anxiously watching.

It was a horror, almost, watching the fox's body begin to warp and distort as it was forcibly sealed back into Naruto, who's back arched and muscles twitched with the stress of his body again becoming host to the Kyuubi. It was over almost as soon as it began and as the cloud of dust cleared, Gerimaru and Wazishi both felt to the ground and Sakura darted over to a spluttering Naruto, her chakra beginning to gather before she'd even reached him. Kakashi bent to turn a panting Gerimaru onto his back, as the other guards surrounded the Kenjin-san,

"W-Wazishi-sa-" Kakashi checked on the elder Uzumaki, laying his body flat, the old man gasping and wheezing from the effort of the sealing,

"Wazishi-san, are you alright?"

"I-I'll...b-be okay after...some rest..."

Kakashi quickly retrieved a water bottle from one of the surrounding guards, all of whom were looking nervous and shifting slightly; the Copy Nin helped Wazishi take a mouthful of water as Sakura landed beside them, along with an unconscious Naruto,

"How's Wazishi-san?" She asked,

"All right, tired though...Naruto?"

"About the same, he'll need a few days' rest before he'll regain consciousness...but knowing Naruto..." Kakashi smiled wryly as Sakura set Naruto down and turned her attention to Wazishi, whom she ascertained wasn't injured and just needed rest. She looked back up to Kakashi and Yamato,

"What about you two, any injuries?" Both men shook their heads,

"No, we're fine...let's get these back to camp and make preparations to move them back to their village," Kakashi addressed the last of his order to the guards surrounding them, they all paused for a few seconds and exchanged looks with each other but nodded, and lowered to lift Wazishi and Gerimaru, apparently the Konoha nins had earned enough of their trust.

…

Naruto could feel himself slowly floating to the surface of consciousness, wondering why his joints ached so much, why was everything so fuzzy?

"Ugn...where..?" He forced his eyes open finding himself looking up at a ceiling, realising that he was also lying in a bed, he forced himself to sit up and look around, where was he? He struggled to his feet and over to the door, sliding it open an inch and alerting to the guard on the other side.

"O-oh, Naruto-kun, you're awake! Go and get Sakura-san," He diverted his attention at the last of his sentence to someone beside him, as he slid the door further open and pulled Naruto's arm over his shoulder, "You should not be out of bed yet..."

"Wh-what happened?" Naruto asked as the guard set him back down on the bed as Sakura appeared at the doorway,

"Naruto! How long have you been awake?" She marched over to him and placed her hand on his forehead,

"A few minutes ago, what happened? I only remember getting overwhelmed by Kurama,"

"You were, the Kyuubi escaped-"

"What!-?"

She raised her free hand to calm him, "Gerimaru held the fox back whilst Wazishi completed the re-sealing; both of whom woke up yesterday, they're still weak but are resting, as you should be."

"...How's the seal?"

Sakura paused for a moment as she focussed her chakra, "It looks good. Its stable and the Kyuubi chakra out-flow is even... how do you feel?"

"Groggy, how long have I been out?"

"About three days,"

"Three  _days!_  Kami-sama, I'm starving!"

Sakura rolled her eyes at his comment, but nodded, "I'll have them bring you something to eat, get some rest, Naruto, I'll report to Kakashi," The blonde pursed his lips, obviously wanting to go with Sakura and avoid remaining still for much longer, but he knew better than to argue;

"Okay," She grinned and turned from the room, the guard followed her,

"Yishi-san, could you please see to it that Naruto is provided with a meal? And please bring his back-pack to him," The guard nodded and walked off down the hall, Sakura continued in the opposite direction, down towards the main hall.

"Sakura, any news?" Kakashi turned from his conversation with Gerimaru and Yamato,

"Naruto's woken up and the seal look good – its stable and doing what its supposed to, he's alert, if not hungry," The two three men's reactions were as expected – Kakashi and Yamato grinned and Gerimaru grimaced, himself unaccustomed to someone with such a voracious appetite;

"I'm glad, we can get going soon. We were just discussing the possibility of reforming the alliance between Uzu and Konoha after we return," Sakura raised an eyebrow as she locked eyes with Gerimaru,

"Oh? Haven't grown attached to us have you?" Sakura's teasing smirk was countered by Gerimaru's scowl,

"Who'd miss  _you_? You angry, violent-"

"That's not very nice, Gerimaru-kun, its no wonder you're still single with an attitude like that!" The scowl only darkened at Wazishi's voice, the man himself hobbling slowly towards them,

"Oh! Kenjin-san... should you be out of bed yet?" Sakura asked,

"Hmm, I might be old, but I'm not infirm yet, though I am certainly hungry, get me something, will you Gerimaru-kun? I'd like the breaded pork, steamed vegetables and rice...and green tea, if you please," The younger Uzumaki scowled slightly and rose to his feet, lifting his own empty plates and bowls, as Wazishi took the free seat beside Kakashi. "Tell me, how is Naruto-kun, is he still unconscious?"

"No, he woke up a few minutes ago;"

The elder Uzumaki nodded, a smile forming on his lips, "Excellent, excellent, then, if you'll excuse us, Sakura-san, Yamato-san," Both nin paused a moment, but respected the elder's request and walked away; Kakashi watched Wazishi carefully out of the corner of his eye. The silence persisted for a few moments.

"I was surprised at your apology earlier, I certainly wasn't anticipating it," Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but waited for the man to continue, "I still don't like you, Hatake and it pains me to admit it, but you're a bigger man than I would not have asked for help so swiftly, had our situations been reversed," Wazishi spoke plainly, but honestly. Kakashi averted his eye from the man next to him and back over the main hall – the adjacent tables dotted with other shinobi, all talking amongst themselves, Gerimaru was walking back towards them, his hands holding a tray full of bowls; "Hmm, here comes lunch, well, if you don't mind, Hatake."

Kakashi nodded and rose to his feet; unable to think of anything appropriate to say, he merely turned, stuffing his hands into his pockets and sauntering away. His feet led him out of the hall and down the outside platform – he and his team having now sufficiently earned the trust of the Uzu nin that they were allowed to move around with a degree of freedom.

Kakashi stopped as he came to a small courtyard and took a seat on one of the secluded wooden benches; if Wazishi had been surprised that he'd apologised to him, then Kakashi was astounded that the Kenjin had taken the Copy Nin at his word and had set aside his pride to help them. It had been a desperate measure and a sting to Kakashi's own ego to apologise in such a subservient fashion, but it had paid off – and for Naruto's seal to have been re-cast and he and his team to finally be trusted by the Uzu nin.

He had to admit, he was looking forward to returning to Konoha – he had a number of things to research and he was looking forward to testing his own chakra, as well as searching through some of the records, now that he had a better idea of what he might be searching for. He also, strangely, found himself wanting to pay another visit to his childhood home, he kept remembering how it looked those weeks back, when he'd been assigned to clean it with Sakura.

It seemed so peaceable, now, in hindsight it actually seemed to be a place he'd want to return to, that he'd want to make his own he was slowly beginning to imagine it actually becoming a  _home_ instead of a house. A sudden movement caught his eye as a bird circled above him and suddenly swooped down, aiming right for the Copy Nin; as it drew closer, Kakashi recognised it as not being a natural bird, but instead, one of Sai's ink creatures. At about arm's length away, it screwed itself up and flipped into a scroll, which Kakashi caught and unravelled to read,

_Kakashi – what is your progress? Have you managed to find any information on the Hakke no Fūin Shiki? I'm aware its only been just over a week, but as I'm sure you're conscious of, time is short. Unfortunately, its recently shortened further still, I've been hearing many disturbing reports about a certain dark-haired, angst ridden former student of yours putting in various appearances and asking uncomfortable questions...about your other former students. Work quickly, then hurry back to Konoha – I hope to have more to brief you on when you return, I'm sending out ANBU to keep tabs on him, but as I'm certain you'd agree, there is only one team who can deal with that boy. With regard to Naruto specifically, please don't move unless you are all fully fit to do so, loosing his cool would otherwise prove especially deadly in a number of ways – Tsunade._

Kakashi took a moment to steady himself...was Sasuke really back on the scene? Had he finally come out of hiding? At the battle between his two former students had been grim to say the very least and they were some of the most unpleasant memories Kakashi had. Sasuke had only escaped with his life after his comrades had swooped in at the last second and yanked him out from under Naruto's final attack...there'd been too much else to do to chase after him immediately, as Sasuke's retreat had only opened up the lines for further resurrected-enemies to jump in – along with Tobi, again tugging on the chakra-chains of the bijuu.

That had been some seven or so years ago and the last Uchiha had almost faded out of memory...only to be brought up again on the darker nights where reminders of his past haunted him with more vigour than usual. Kakashi unravelled the scroll further to find a blank space and swiftly scribbled down what he could before re-rolling the scroll and pushing a little of his chakra into it. That in turn caused the scroll to suddenly sprout wings and a beak, and fly away – it certainly was a marvellous jutsu of Sai's that allowed them to communicate so swiftly.

Kakashi then rose to his feet and walked away to inform his team-mates and Wazishi that their anticipated date for leaving would now be pulled back by three or so days – they'd need to leave tonight and Naruto should be back up to strength after a meal. The only thing Kakashi thought it wise to do, would be to  _not_  mention the real purpose for their haste – any mention of Sasuke still seemed to rattle them, especially Naruto, beyond reason. Kakashi wasn't sure he'd like what was almost certain to happen over the next few days and weeks – but he was beginning to get used to the feeling, it having been almost non-stop for almost the last month;

"Yamato," Kakashi beckoned the slightly younger ANBU over to him, "I've just received word from Tsunade, we're urgently needed back in Konoha – there's been word that Sasuke has re-surfaced," Yamato's eyes grew wide at the last of the Copy Nin's sentence

"W-wha? Are they sure?"

Kakashi nodded, "They're pretty certain, we need to leave no later than tonight; thankfully Naruto's seal has been sorted in time – I don't like to think what would happen if we were still stuck here with Sasuke on the lose."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Apparently he's been asking some questions about Naruto and Sakura," Yamato raised an eyebrow but said nothing, only nodding his head slowly, "We'll have to remain vigilant as we return to Konoha, Tsunade hopes to have more information for us by the time we return, but she didn't mention his present location."

"Once we return to main-land Fire, I'll be able to send out a clone through the trees who will be able to detect his chakra...but I would think Tsunade would give warning if he were too close to our current location,"

"I think so too, but that doesn't mean he can't get 'too close' very quickly,"

"I'll go and get Naruto and Sakura sorted, depending on how the former is, we can be ready to go within the hour."

"Good, I'll go and speak to Wazishi," The two men parted ways, both eager to return to Konoha for more information on the situation and both of them grimly, but futilely, hoping that claims that it was actually Sasuke had been exaggerated.

...

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've left Wazishi alive (partly as he and Kakashi had some things to resolve) and partially because I think Minato only died after the seal because he used the Eight Trigrams in conjunction with the Dead Demon to seal away half of the fox's chakra and it was the Dead Demon Seal which killed him (well, that and getting impaled by the fox's claw -.-) hence, the actual Eight Trigrams alone wouldn't claim the user's life.
> 
> You might be thinking *groan* 'I can see where this is going...' But Sasuke has not played...well any major part in any of my stories (besides Two Fools, which was only porn and no he completely missed out XD, lol), anyway, I think there can be some interesting things to explore with a post-war original Team 7 dynamic, so please bear with me – and yes, I will be doing my best to avoid all standard clichés therein associated XD! (Or perhaps at the very least, re-write them into something a little more interesting as, let's face it, Naruto and Sasuke sort of form their own, unavoidable cliché together, don't they? Tho I'm undecided as to whether its good, bad or just o.O?)


	7. Words Through Smoke

"And you're certain that the seal is stable and the Kyuubi chakra flow is normal – where a little slips out to mingle with Naruto's own?"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama, the seal is identical – Wazishi-san did an excellent job," Sakura replied as the Hokage eyed the blonde jinchuuriki carefully for a few moments,

"Excellent..."

"Uh, Tsunade-sama, I'd spoken to Wazishi-san, and he was interesting in beginning to form an alliance again with Konoha." The Godaime raised an eyebrow at this, but nodded carefully at Kakashi's words;

"I'll look into it, good work, all of you. I have an important mission for you tomorrow, but the briefing can wait until I call for you again at some point tomorrow morning, everyone but Kakashi, you're dismissed – take the rest of the day off," The remaining three bowed and left as Tsunade raised her elbows to rest on the table and her chin on her clasped hands; "I've received confirmation that it is Sasuke we're dealing with – I've sent out a scout to mark his movements over the week and they're due to report in tomorrow; so far, he's been following a number of the border towns between Fire, Ame, Kusa and Taki."

"I'm curious, what sort of questions has he been asking?" Kakashi asked,

"The status of Naruto and Sakura, what their ranks are and general movements... their personal relationships." Tsunade answered causing Kakashi to raise an eyebrow,

"Why would he have any interest in those things? He never has done before, why would he suddenly change his mind?"

"I don't know but as soon as the nin has reported back, I'll send you, Naruto, Sakura and Sai out – I'll be sending Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji, led by Yamato to back you up if things get ugly. I want you to talk to Sasuke and find out what he wants – your back up will keep well out of your way, a few hours behind you." Kakashi nodded carefully,

"We'll find out what we can, what are our underlying orders? Is he still considered too big a threat?" Kakashi asked, Tsunade averted her eyes down to her desk and allowed the silence to stretch for a few moments,

"If you can, bring him back to Konoha, but kill him before you let him escape."

"...Understood."

"Dismissed."

Kakashi returned immediately to his apartment to drop his back pack and take a shower, he'd been unusually swift, hoping for a nap, initially; but as soon as he'd finished scrubbing his hair dry, he'd taken a look around his apartment and a strange sense of unease set in. There was something... _cold_ in his flat that he hadn't felt before, a strange emptiness – he hadn't noticed how bare the walls were or how  _unfriendly_ his sense of organisation appeared to be, everything where exactly where it was needed, items were placed with those of a certain likeness, nothing was random or ad hoc. It hadn't occurred to him before how uncomfortable it was – he physically recognised it as his living space but it was also alien and not somewhere he wanted to spend any time; before he'd fully registered his discomfort, he'd grabbed his book ( _Flirting With Danger_  by Hitsuya Riniimura – the best substitute for  _Icha Icha_ Kakashi had found so far), slipped his flak jacket over his shoulders, clipped his pouches around his waist and tugged his sandals on.

He was out of the door and half-way down the street before he'd taken full note of his actions and wondered where he was going – the training grounds, he decided, he had chakra to manipulate, after all.

He managed to keep his stride relaxed and his face apathetic, although he was slightly anxious on the inside; as he traced the relatively busy streets his mind again drifting back to his house in the woods. He knew he had too little time to revisit it...but what was it that he wanted to return for? He could picture the house perfectly, but intuition was telling him that it was the nostalgia, the  _feeling_ that being in the house bought him that made him want to return. The fact his current apartment suddenly felt alienating didn't help much, he thought grimly, Kakashi looked up from the puddle he stepped over, finding himself already at the arched bridge – and a pink-haired medic leaning against the side, over-looking the water,

"Sakura? What are you doing here?"

"Huh? Oh, just taking a walk, I guess." She replied,

"Is something wrong?" He walked up to her side, noting carefully that her demeanour, whilst had naturally quietened due to maturity, was dampened more than usual;

"Tomorrow's mission is pretty serious, isn't it?" She didn't meet his eye,

"Well of course, Sakura-chan, Tsunade-sama trusts you to do more than chase stray cats." She let out a breath of irritation at his words and mirthful tone,

"I mean, its something that even Tsunade would seriously worry over," She finally looked up at him, scrutinising his fairly bank expression,

"What makes you think that?"

"She wasn't sipping any saké, and her hands stayed far apart from each other – she only clasps them if she can talk about what's worrying her." Kakashi raised an eyebrow, impressed that Sakura had learned to read her so well (he also carefully memorised that snippet of information, which would no doubt prove useful at one point or another),

"Don't worry, Sakura, you'll be fully briefed tomorrow," Her eyebrows pinched slightly, obviously not liking his answer, but he offered a short smile in return, "Are you able to sense chakra?" She cocked her head slightly but nodded after a moment,

"Chakra? Sure, why?"

"How are you able to read different chakra types and flows?"

"To a reasonable degree, I suppose...I can't tell something as minute as a chakra  _nature type,_ but I can tell chakra sensitivity and the general flow,"

"Can you tell the difference between, say, between a ninja who uses elemental jutsu and those who manipulates only the Yin/Yang alterations?" She narrowed her eyes and fully stood up from the railing, turning to face her former-sensei,

"Why are you so curious? And why would you need  _me_  to answer your questions?"

"Hmm...think of it as training! Besides, how often do you get to help your sensei train, rather than the other way around?" He grinned, but she didn't look impressed, a slender eyebrow merely raising in disbelief, "Well, can you?"

"I think so..."

"Then let's go," He walked away and Sakura took a moment before she caught up to him,

"Go where? What are you talking about?"

"To training ground three and I want you to analyse my chakra," They paused upon reaching the open field, "I need you to tell me if my chakra resembles a more elemental based nature or Yin/Yang type,"

"What?"

"Just tell me, please," He stepped back and summoned his chakra, as though he were about to form seals, Sakura studied him for a moment, watching him carefully,

"I wasn't aware you were capable of using non-elemental jutsu – its the same as normal,"

"But isn't my chakra a little strange to you?"

"What do you mean by 'strange'?"

"You know, unusual, not like normal elemental-chakra?" Sakura fought the smile which tugged at her lips, at his slightly strained voice a novelty,

"Kakashi, you're starting to sound like a hypochondriac," He sighed, his irritation clear,

"Alright, I'll manipulate my chakra as though I'm going to cast a genjutsu, tell me how my chakra differs from before,"

"Haa...there's no change, or at least, its too subtle for me to detect, but since genjutsu requires a greater focus on upsetting  _another's_ chakra, it too much for all by the most elite senor-types. Kakashi, what's happened? Has something happened to your chakra?"

"...No...nothings happened, I've just been wondering about it, but I can't sense my own easily whilst I'm summoning it, that's all, Sakura thank you," He stepped out of his ready stance and tugged his book out of his pouch, flipping to a random page as he walked away,

"...Kakashi?"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura,"

…

He'd visited the memorial after the semi-training session with Sakura and he'd found himself searching for any names resembling 'Fuyu' or 'Umika' – he found nothing, much as he expected. Afterwards, he'd returned to the archives and library to search for the names of his grandparents, he'd come across one or two more mentions – housing allocation, a couple of hospital records documenting Sakumo's birth.

But, as expected, he hadn't found much and he was sick of sitting somewhere so uncomfortable to read, it occurred to him that he'd been finding excuses not to return home, but he dismissed the thoughts and quickly reburied himself in unhelpful scrolls. By the time Kakashi had closed his apartment door behind himself and kicked his sandals off, long after the sun had set, he'd been ready to go straight to bed, almost; he'd sorted through the scrolls he'd rescued from Uzu first, and put them safely with the document's of his father's.

He stared at the collection for a few moments, how his life had changed over the course of four days! He hadn't realised the void created by turning his back on his father's memory, but now that he  _had_ been made aware of it, he seemed to be finding holes and pitfalls in almost all aspects of his life. He'd laid awake in bed for some time, allowing the darkness to become a blank canvas, his mind wondering what Sakumo might say about his current predicament but of course, if he could provide any insight, it was likely his current problem would not exist.

What was he to do with all his uneasiness? Put it aside until after his upcoming mission, that was for sure.

The next day had come around all too slowly, but before he knew it, he was stood in front of Tsunade listening to the mission breifing – that they were to go and intercept a missing nin on the Fire/Taki border. They would head in as a single team first, with Yamato and Ino-Shika-Chou as a back up team a short while behind them, they were initially to attempt to bring him back to Konoha, but if those efforts failed, then they were under strict orders to eliminate the target. The three age-mates of the 'later' Team-Kakashi nodded carefully, unprepared for the bombshell Tsunade dropped by adding, simply,

"The missing nin is Uchiha Sasuke," As expected, two mouths fell open in shock – Naruto, surprisingly looking as though he wasn't sure to be excited or livid and Sakura was incredulous,

"Tsunade-baa are you sure?"

"Definitely...and it seems, he's been asking after you, wondering your current ranks and ties to Konoha and you movements,"

"Why would he want to know those things?" Sakura asked before she could stop herself;

"Good question, we're not sure and its something you'll have to find out from him. I'm aware of the sore spot that Sasuke is –  _still_  – but you've got to keep your heads cool and think logically – if he can't be reasoned with or brought back to the village, then he'll have to be killed. Do you fully understand what I'm telling you?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama,"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," Both Sai and Sakura responded swiftly, Naruto was a little slower, but he still nodded with enough firmness to reassure the doubts,

"...Hai, Tsunade-baa-chan,"

"I know it won't be easy, but do what you can...he's not worth loosing your lives – or your sanity over... You have an hour to gather any extra things you think you might need before leaving, dismissed," They all bowed and filed out, quickly separating to go their separate ways.

"Come  _on_ , Kakashi! We've been waiting for ages!" Naruto's voice was the first that greeted him, as he turned up, an hour and a half late;

"Hai, hai, are we all set? Then lets go," They took off swiftly, Naruto leading, of course, followed by Sakura, Sai and Kakashi last, whilst it was normal for them to travel in silence, they all (mostly, Sai was still a little shaky at emotionally reading situations) felt the weight of the up-coming mission – the possibilities and likelihoods were the ones they didn't want to think about, but they also knew that they had to face the reality of the situation – being able to overpower and subdue Sasuke into answering their questions or returning, with them, to Konoha, was slim to nil.

…

As the day drew to a close, they'd made good progress and were within half a day's journey – a healthy distance, Kakashi decided, and they paused to make camp and discuss a few last minute things. They'd caught and cooked dinner as they talked it over,

"We have no idea what state he'll be in when we find him, so no blindly rushing in, alright?" The other nodded in acknowledgement of Kakashi's words,

"Is he alone? Does it still have his team?"

"We're not sure, all reports so far have suggested that he is alone, but that doesn't mean they're not in hiding somewhere,"

"What are we planning on first? Fighting and subduing or talking? I know it will depend on his reaction mostly, but since he's been asking after us, I'm not sure..." Sakura trailed off as Kakashi nodded, understanding her concerns,

"We'll make our presence known quickly – after a little observation – and wait for him to engage; I want you and Naruto to head in first, Sai and I will hang back slightly, but I want us all to be in full view," Kakashi drained the last of his tea and set his bowl aside, he'd thought he'd be a little hungrier than he was.

"Kakashi, I want Sasuke to come back to Konoha..." The blonde looked like he wanted to continue, but he faltered,

"I know, Naruto, I do too, but the chances are that that simply won't be an option, but we might also be able to injure him and bring him back that way..."

"You mean, take out his eyes?" Sakura finished quietly,

"That would significantly weaken him and make him less risky to transport and less of a threat to Konoha." Kakashi sighed and averted his eye down the to crackling fire, not really liking the thought of that either;

"I have never actually met Sasuke – and I can't say I like him very much from all the things he's done so far...personally, I think he is undeserving of your friendship, but since I still don't really understand it all that well, I will help you bring him back, if that is what's to happen," Sai's words managed to shock them all; Naruto suddenly laughed, though;

"Ha ha ha, well, if I could help you, Sai, then there's gotta be a way to help Sasuke!" Sakura smiled lightly at Naruto's optimism, she'd seen how close Naruto had been to killing their long-ago team-mate and she didn't consciously doubt his ability to follow through on it again this time, should it be necessary, but Naruto was of a sensitive disposition – more so than it seemed – and in the heat of war, he might have been able to detach himself in a way he wouldn't be able to on a mission.

Despite their unsettled thoughts, Kakashi seemed to claim first watch and dismiss them to sleep all too quickly – the kuniochi found herself extremely restless; partly with what might happen tomorrow and partially with Kakashi's questions of the previous day. Eventually, she got up – it was almost time for another shift anyway so she rose to her feet, ignoring Kakashi's curious glance momentarily and set the pot of water on the fire, in preparation for some tea.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to stop tossing and turning." He grinned,

"I was doing no such thing," She whispered back, considerate of their other two sleeping team-mates, taking a seat adjacent to him as he handed her his cup, intending her to pour him out some more tea along with her own;

"Figuratively, then, why so restless? Its not like you," He pressed and she sighed lightly, keeping her eyes on the dancing flames,

"Well, I'm not going to pretend I'm not at least concerned about what might come of tomorrow, but I'm also curious about what you were asking about your chakra."

"You must be a little more than 'curious' if its keeping you from sleep, Sakura." A classic Kakashi-evasion-tactic: half address the question; she gave a short breath of irritation,

"There's not much on Yin/Yang manipulations, but, whether a shinobi has the ability to manipulate only elemental jutsu or not, tends to depend on genetics, even for the basic non-elemental jutsus like seals, medical ninjutsu and genjutsu," She poured out the freshly boiled water into the two cups, fishing out the tea bags after a few moments and handing Kakashi's cup back to him, she held her cup in her hands, her elbows resting on her knees as she continued, still not quite meeting his eye, "My point is, if you'd been especially disposed to non-elemental use, don't you think you would have realised it by now? What's with the sudden desire for knowledge?" She eventually looked up to him, finding his gaze averted to the flames as well;

"...I found some interesting scrolls in Uzu," She wasn't sure if he could see, but she raised her eyebrows in a silent  _'oh?'_  "It turns out that my chakras a little more unusual than I'd thought at first and it hinted that I shouldn't have too much trouble in manipulating the Yin/Yang balance," He eventually looked up from the fire and over to Sakura to see her eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates, he just managed to rein a small smile which tugged at his lips – she certainly didn't look like fearsome and strong kuniochi he knew her to be with such an expression of amazed curiosity – so much for nothing fazing her any more;

"But, I'm not sure how you couldn't have seen this before, surely..."

"I guess its because I grew up during the brewing and eventually breakout of the Third Ninja War – there wasn't much time for relaxed chakra analysis." He said, Sakura nodded slightly,

"How your sharingan been lately? Any pain? Any blindness?" His eyes snapped to hers with the apparent change of topic,

"And people say I have poor conversational skills, that was a bit of a tangent, Sakura-chan," He teased gently, but her eyebrows flopped into an unimpressed frown; resisting the  _'baka'_ which was right on the tip of her tongue,

"Obviously, the sharingan will adapt best to someone who's chakra has a more Yin and Yang balance, than a ninja who focusses solely on elemental jutsus," She explained and he eventually cottoned on,

"So..."

"Right, as strong as some of the incompatibilities are, if what you're saying is true about your chakra, then you were also quite fortunate, it might by the reason why you've managed to master it so well and the fact its lasted so long." The silence lapsed for a long while, both considering the implications, "Where are you going to go from here? Will you work on creating a new non-elemental jutsu?"

"I don't know, to be honest, now isn't really the time to be thinking about it – but once we're back in the village, I'm going to focus more on my own internal chakra flow and see if anything interesting comes to my attention, but I can't say I even know exactly what I'm looking for."

"How did you first learn to summon?" He raised an eyebrow, the  _'another tangent?'_  didn't need to be said to be heard, "It seems to me that the kuchiyose no jutsu is the most complex but well known and generally used Yin/Yang technique..." Kakashi looked at her for a moment – as usual, his expression was unreadable, but hard somehow, filled with scrutiny; something she wasn't really used to from him and it put her slightly on edge. "...Kakashi?" He seemed to come back to himself at the call of his name;

"Nothing...its nothing, Sakura."

* * *

They watched him carefully, really carefully; in their appropriate formations, they were hidden in the trees, which had grown out of the high hedgerow, their chakras suppressed as though their lives depended on it as they watched him; he was walking slowly down the path which wound down the side of the open field. His gait was quite slow, but not in the lazy, arrogant sense they would have recognised instantly; it was clear to their sharp eyes that his feet were dragging slightly on the stones and uneven path beneath him.

His clothes were dirty and wrinkled and his hair was stringy, as thought it had gone a few weeks too many without being washed; his striped  _saya_  clipped to his thick rope belt, was scuffed and nicked. Sakura wasn't sure what to make of him looking to scraped up – in her memories, Sasuke had always taken care to look as good as possible – the vain arrogance in him couldn't stand any less. She caught Naruto's gaze and something his hardened eyes told her that he saw it too, they nodded to each other and jump down, landing a good few meters behind their target.

"Sasuke," The nin stopped,

"Hmm? Naruto?" He turned slowly around, "And Sakura? You're here, good...I was wondering how long it would take of me asking the right questions for you to show...I assume Kakashi is around here somewhere, too?" The Copy Nin and Sai darted out from cover and landed to the left of Sasuke, a slight deviation to the plan, but it seemed appropriate; "There he is,"

As Sasuke's eyes had connected with Sakura's, she could see how dull his looked – not that she could say that she remembered them being particularly sparkly before (not to mention the fact that he had Naruto to contend with,  _no one_  could beat him in the sparkly-eyes department), but he'd certainly look alive – not like  _this._  His back and shoulders were still straight, but it was definitely awkward, like he'd pulled his shirt on with the coat-hanger still left in; as her brain automatically sifted through her vast database of medical knowledge to ascertain if there was actually anything wrong with him, a small realisation dawned on her that what nagged her so much about this, was that Sasuke looked as though something in him had been  _broken_.

But that was almost frightening in its own way – for as stubborn and arrogant as Sasuke had been, she never once imagined he could look so... _careful_.

..

.

A/n - I know what I was saying about the non-elemental types and the summoning and genjutsu - but I'm taking these to be general skills that most ninja can use (like a slightly more advance henge or kawarimi), for the serious Yin and Yang jutsus (like Shikamaru's shadow abilities) are what I'm thinking off for the Yin/Yang type chakra.


	8. Bloodlust

"And who's this? Is he my replacement?" Sasuke's level voice asked as he fixed his dark eyes on Sai, the sharingan inactive;

"My name is Sai. I am Sakura's and Naruto's team-mate, I am your replacement after you left." The ex-ROOT member returned in a passionless voice;

"I see," Sasuke looked generally unfazed, returning his attention back to his two former team-mates; whilst Sasuke was, momentarily, distracted and not doing anything, Kakashi took the opportunity to observe his former student. He had to admit, he was a little shocked to see how unrefined the Uchiha looked – in the past, even beaten up from previous battles there was something,  _something_  about him, some spark which told Kakashi that they boy was actually alive in one capacity or another, but here... the Copy Nin didn't like what he saw.

"Where are you team-mates, Sasuke?" The Uchiha averted his eyes to his once-sensei,

"They're gone."

"Gone as in 'left' or gone as in 'dead'?" Sakura asked carefully, her fingers twitching slightly, perhaps feeling at a loss without a kunai to grip,

"Just gone. I haven't seen them for... a few years." Sasuke replied, Kakashi raised an eyebrow, perhaps Karin was dead – or captured – she didn't seem the type to up and leave the Uchiha; the other two? Hard to say,

"Is that why you were asking about Naruto and Sakura? You want to replace them?" They'd all expected a smirk of one description or another from Sasuke, but he instead looked carefully between them all, then, in split second timing that only another sharingan could have predicted, Sasuke leapt up, his own kekkei-genkai flashing into his eyes as Kakashi darted forward to deflect the first blow. The Uchiha's sharingan were ablaze as he and Kakashi engaged in immediate taijutsu, although somewhat moot against that bloodline, it provided a distraction which gave Naruto an opening.

The blonde darted forward, already with four clones at his sides; the Uchiha leapt away from Kakashi, his own hand seals beginning to form, but a large ink snake suddenly wound around his forearm physically prevented him from continuing. Just as Sasuke noticed this, Naruto suddenly came baring down upon him with a small, wingless rasengan in his hand, Kakashi was again bearing on him from his right flank and the Uchiha had only a split second to leap backwards to avoid the clash. He was nearly swallowed up in a great crack in the earth just as his foot touched the ground, it parted ways and Sasuke had to drop right into the cavern, which originated out from beneath Sakura's fist,

"I see Kakashi must not have stopped blathering about teamwork for all of this to be so smooth…" There was that irritating smirk they all knew so well, but it faded almost too quickly as Sasuke slapped his hands together and flashed through the seals for Housenka no jutsu [mythical fire phoenix] as each ball of fire darted out towards Naruto's clones and the mice which Sai had again sent, each of which exploded as soon as the fire fully enveloped them. Kakashi darted in again on the offensive, his mangekyou ablaze in pre-emptive defence and attack, but Sasuke was to swift and his eyes too skilled, his body was suddenly covered by the monstrous flaming skeleton of Susano'o whose hand shot out in an attempt to grab Kakashi as though he were a pesky rabbit.

Kakashi focused his mangekyou on the reaching arm and managed to form a barrier around it, despite its eerily fast pace, so as to begin warping the dimensions around it and he managed to vaporise the first arm, but the Copy Nin wasn't prepared to counter the second limb, the finger-tips of which grazed his shoulder and flung him to ground by its sheer force. Kakashi managed to roll out of the way of the arm again, which dived to capture him but he could again re-focused his mangekyou and just about managed to crush the thumb, index and middle finger as it attempted to strike; just before Kakashi was about to be crushed by the faming hand of a dead god, Naruto and Sai sprang to his rescue.

An innumerable number of Naruto's kage bunshins appeared from nowhere surrounding Sasuke and somehow managing to throw him off guard enough that the arm suddenly vanished as Kakashi was allowed to regain his breath from such sudden use of the mangekyou, the burning of his shoulder and entire left arm (as well as the – dare he admit it, even to himself – risk of himself being crushed to death). Just as the silver-haired shinobi looked up, he spotted a blonde bunshin as it threw a fist to the ribs of a distracted and ink-snake entwined Sasuke, which blasted him away from the bunshin by about twenty feet, his excessively tensed body skidded across the earth.

Kakashi himself was confused until the bunshin seemed to disappear and Sakura was left standing in his place; Naruto hadn't missed a beat and was already upon Sasuke, with three clones by his side, pummelling the dark-haired former-teammate. Sakura suddenly appeared by his side as Sai was crouch and drawing out a picture on a large scroll,

"Are you all right?"

"Left shoulder and arm," Her hands found the wound immediately, easing the nasty smell and aching pain from the fabric melted into the burn; Kakashi watch his two formed male students continue to battle until the blonde suddenly fell back as though surprised and remained frozen; Sasuke hadn't moved either, his three-tomoe sharingan staring down at the jinchuuriki before him. Suddenly, a large, inky tiger bounded from nowhere and attempted to clamp Sasuke between its gigantic jaws, but the Uchiha returned to himself too quickly and darted back about twenty feet, before disappearing in a whirling flame of black fire. It was all over before any of the could truly gather their wits,

"Wh-what…the  _hell!-?_ " Naruto's angry shout was the first thing to be heard after a good minute or so, the blonde leaping to his feet, obviously ready to run off after the deserter, but Kakashi pre-empted it and held him back,

"Naruto! Wait a moment, I want to talk to you, come here." The blond whizzed around, fixing his angry blue eyes on the Copy Nin,

"What?"

"What happened just now? What did he want?"

"Eh?" Naruto asked, his head cocking to the side slightly as relaxed his stance,

"He trained his sharingan on you, just now, what happened with that? You completely froze,"

"Oh…he…looked inside, where the Kurama is, he seemed surprised that the seal was strong." Naruto's eyebrows pinched together slightly, "Yea…he was surprised the seal was so strong, d'you think he wanted to remove the seal?" Kakashi rose to his feet as Sakura finished healing him,

"I don't know, Naruto, I don't know."

…

As seemingly fragile as the Uchiha was, his skills were still razor sharp…they'd watched him through the previous day and he'd seemed bumbling somehow, his movements a little sluggish whilst he moved through the town and back towards his 'hideout' (which was a glorified tent). Team Kakashi had spent the entirety of the next observing his movements, whilst remaining exceptionally well-hidden, of course, but for ninja of a certain skill level, not matter how 'well-hidden' one was, it was never quite enough.

Kakashi wasn't sure what to make of the fact that the Uchiha hadn't made any move to acknowledge their presence or do anything about them, but neither did he want to leave too much time for Sasuke to recover, and so, by not quite even midday as they observed Sasuke leaving the village (but not heading directly for his 'home'), Kakashi sent Naruto and Sai around to the right flank and he leapt down to engage the second fight with Sakura paused in the shadows ready for the inevitable counter-strike.

…

"I don't know what state Team Kakashi might be in when we get there, but I want all of your focus to be on Sasuke – he is the priority, Shikamaru and Ino your skills we be critical in subduing him if it becomes necessary; as soon as you've pinned him, Shikamaru – preferably from out of his line of sight – I want you, Ino, to use the mind-switch technique and either hold him off long enough for Chouji to get a good strike, or enough to gather information on why he's there and what he wants." Yamato explained swiftly, receiving careful nods,

"Are you going to provide a distraction, Yamato-Taichou? Ino and I can get into the right position more easily if you steal even a second or two of his attention,"

"Hai, I will be, and I think Chouji should join me in an initial distraction-attack, depending upon what the situation is – even if Team Kakashi are not around or are badly loosing, we may need to act more cautiously, but if they're holding ground then you and Ino need to act as swiftly as possible." He received sharp nods in affirmation, "Chou-"

"Yamato!" The gruff voice of Pakkun broke through the ANBU's words as he appeared out from the under-brush, panting lightly, "Kakashi and his team have already fought with Sasuke once and they're planning on engaging him again soon, you must hurry! I'll tell you the details as we run!" The entire team sprung to their feet from their pit-stop and followed the small dog as they dashed forward, further towards the border, hoping to make good time to back up their friends and team-mates.

They weren't too far, as it turned out, and Ino and Shikamaru, as soon as they became aware of just how close they were to the fight, veered off in opposite directions to be better prepared to tackle the prickly Uchiha. Shikamaru's mind began to whir as he darted through the trees as silently and subtly as he could cope with, whilst Yamato and Chouji leapt to Kakashi's side,

"Where're the others?" The Copy Nin asked quickly,

"Raidou and Genma are elsewhere, we split up to search, I sent Pakkun to get them." Actually Pakkun disappeared just before they'd reached the hundred-foot perimeter of where the fight was taking place,

"No Shikamaru or Ino?"

"No, he had another mission to Suna which overran, and Ino's whereabouts I wasn't told..."

"...All right." Shikamaru stopped listening to the two Jounin who were stood back a little as his attention focussed on Naruto and Sasuke who were battling each other, Shikamaru knew that his first attack had to be a feint – catching them unawares during recovery from the first assault was usually what won battles. Naruto was a messy fighter, as always, skilled without doubt but his movements weren't always easy to predict – and as his persistent nickname suggested – he more than occasionally made mistakes and acted inexplicably enough to make trying to plan around him moot.

Thankfully, Shikamaru thought, he was quite used to Naruto and the Nara suspected, that due to the sharingan's predictive abilities, the jinchuuriki wouldn't prove to be the driving force; yes Naruto's energy tended to be the current of a fight, but here, Sasuke could decide a lot and Shikamaru took his time to observe. Sasuke ducked back and out of Naruto's punching reach, pivoting on his foot before he twisted back around to thrust his foot into Naruto's chest forcing the blonde away from him, just as he ducked to avoid a second leaping towards him.

The sharingan wielder only just managed to jump up and avoid being sucked beneath the earth as a great rift appeared in it from one of Sakura's chakra-charged punches; just as Sasuke landed down towards the side, he began to flip through the seals for a Goukakkyuu no jutsu as his perceptive eyes caught a spear of a shadow racing towards him from behind. Sasuke only just managed to leap up and avoid whatever that thing was as he leapt across the small 'gorge' which had been created in Sakura's strike, just as Sasuke's feet touched the ground, he found himself completely immobile his body rigid and unmoving he had only a second to detect a vaguely familiar voice saying,

"Shadow Neck Bind, success!" Before he was suddenly aware that he seemed to be very small, and somehow trapped within his own body – like he was looking at himself from the inside, but was paralysed somehow,

_Sorry, Sasuke, but you're going to tell me what I want to know._

_Ino? What the hell have you done to me?_

_Why are you here, now?_

_Get out of my mind!_

_Trust me, it's better if you give up the information willingly!_

_Get. Out!_

_Alrighty, then~_

Her distant sounding voice quieted and before Sasuke could help himself, he began to recall the most prominent memories of the past few months and years – of how he'd come to lose contact with Taka – some through death, others through reasons unknown, how he came to be back in Fire without initially realising it, hearing words of praise of Naruto and Sakura, how he came to formulate plans and wonder if there was any sort of a place for him in Konoha.

He thought of many things, countless things, some fleeting and half-acknowledged and other things which had consumed his mind for days; before he knew it, he became aware of the feeling of coming back to himself, but before he could act on it, blinding pain on the right side of his jaw blanked his mind and succumbed to a more natural darkness.

As soon as Chouji had landed his strike, Sakura jumped in and injected her once-team-mate with a powerful chakra suppressant and began to bind his eyes closed, preventing the Uchiha from posing any threat;

"Was it just me, or did that seem a little  _too_  easy?" Sakura queried as Yamato bound the Uchiha's arms and hands,

"Ahaha, you have so little faith in me, Sakura-chan!" Naruto responded immediately gleeful folding his arms behind his head as Shikamaru stuffed his hands in his pockets, irritatedly muttering,  _'who else did the hard work?'_

"You're right," Kakashi cut across, "His movements were occasionally sluggish and there were times when it looked, to my sharingan at least, that if he'd really wanted to avoid something, he could have...or at least deflected it more effectively," Kakashi frowned at the unconscious Uchiha;

"So what now?"

"We had him followed at first, he was based in a small village a few miles from here...but we didn't have the opportunity to fully check it out...Ino, tell us what information you gathered first, then we'll sort out a plan of action," Kakashi lifted the limp form of his ex-student and darted away, eager to escape the remains of the battle-site, but also to find a more secure location in which interrogate Sasuke when he awoke next.

The two teams moved swiftly, Kakashi's brain already beginning to form likely scenarios and ideal courses of action, whilst Ino was doing her best to sort through the memories she'd gleaned from Sasuke, trying to make sense of them, giving logic and chronology to them – it certainly wasn't an easy task. When Kakashi was satisfied that they'd travelled enough of a distance, he set Sasuke down and turned to Yamato,

"I want you and and your team to head into the small village Sasuke had been using as a base – of sorts – whilst I and my team will remain here to interrogate Sasuke...I will, however, exchange Naruto and Ino – he knows the town we observed previously," He locked eyes with the shinobi who hesitated for a split second, but nodded in affirmation of the statement, "And Ino can tell us what she gleaned from Sasuke and do so again, if necessary...I'm sorry Naruto, but I'll need Sakura's expertise to deal with Sasuke and we need to learn all we can here as fast as possible,"

"I know... I get it," Naruto's voice was a little gruff, but held a slight edge, grateful that the elder nin understood him so well – perhaps a younger Naruto would have adamantly refused to leave, but he knew he'd only be counterproductive (as much as it stung his pride to admit it to himself);

"Hai, Kakashi-Taichou," The Yamanaka responded as stepped a little closer to where Kakashi was stood, near Sakura (who was close to the flopped over Sasuke), Sai was stood a couple of feet away, carefully observing the group's interactions,

"We'll report back in a few hours, Kakashi-Sampai," The Copy Nin nodded as Yamato, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Naruto darted away – the jinchuuriki explaining what they'd found, steadily leaving behind the final four shinobi.

"The town is small and he was on the outskirts, but we think he might have been using a genjutsu to disguise himself," Naruto explained as he leapt from branch to branch, "The nin who'd come across him asked about him to some of the villagers, but they claimed he was an old man who'd lived there for years...we didn't have time to examine where he was living – which looked like a tent – but we did witness him leaving an ironmongers twice – once, just before we fought him for the second time."

"You think he was having weapons made?" Shikamaru asked, swinging by his hands across a gap between trees,

"Dunno, that would be the obvious thing to conclude, but Kakashi said not to get carried away with assumptions,"

"We'll look into it," Yamato began, "And see what the blacksmith has to say we can later confer it with whatever Kakashi-Sampai and Ino have learned from Sasuke."

As soon as they arrived at the cross-roads Naruto recognised, he stopped and apart from nearly causing Chouji to steamroller him, it caused another tug at the blonde's heart – how  _empty_  that dirt path looked up to the dilapidated tent...how could Sasuke stand it?

"Up there is where Sasuke was living...and down there," He nodded his head at the adjacent 'path' (which was signified by little more than flattened grass) will lead into the town,"

"Alright," Yamato took control once again, easily able to read the sorrow in Naruto's words, "Naruto and I will check out his living space; Shikamaru and Chouji, I want you both to check out the village and find out all you can, but try not to drawer too much attention to yourselves,"

"Hai, Yamato-Taichou," Shikamaru nodded and the two long-time friends headed off down the adjacent path. Naruto marched on himself, his mind clouded with worry and anger,  _what are you doing Sasuke? Are you answering their questions? Are you still being your pain-in-the-ass-self? Are you-_

"Naruto!"

The blonde was jerked back to reality as he flung himself to his right in an attempt to avoid the kunai which whizzed out from a gap in the tent, "Ack!"

"You must stay alert! We've no idea what we might find here!" Yamato snapped. Naruto rose again to his feet, forcing himself to focus, watching as Yamato crept up to the encampment – the thick woven material was pulled across the front of the rock-face, to provide shelter, there was a small overhang above the tent, enough to shade the interior. Yamato was swift as ever and as soon as he darted inside the tarpaulin, he'd disabled the kunai mechanism as Naruto checked the outside and above cliff for any likewise traps; he then followed Yamato up into the camp.

It was a mess – well, a mess in Yamato's eyes (Naruto was still way to sloppy for anyone to really hold a candle to him), but even so, the younger nin could appreciate the dilapidated state of the dwelling. There were kunai strew together hastily in a corner, a scrubbed out fire, a rock close by it, which must have been sat on numerous times for the foot prints in the dirt close by. There was some bedding, rather scrunged and dirty looking in the furthest corner – it was far more galling than Naruto wanted to admit.

 

"To be perfectly honest, Kakashi-Taichou, I really don't know – I've been thinking over all of his memories, but since I couldn't take much time, they're all fairly confused, it would seem that he's been here for some weeks, his movements have been fairly varied – up into Taki territory, into local bars asking about Naruto and Sakura. He must have fooled the Waterfall nin he ran into...he saw through the ANBU operative right away...but guessed he was only getting closer to his targets," Kakashi nodded as he took in all of what Ino was saying,

"Did you learn anything about  _why_  he wanted to know about them?"

"No, unfortunately not...I can try again once he regains consciousness," That was the only mildly irritating aspect to the Yamanaka clan's jutsu was that it couldn't be used effectively on the unconscious.

"Sakura, how does he look?" The pinkette had given the Uchiha a quick medical, as Ino conferred with Kakashi, and found a number of chronic – although not individually serious – ailments. Most varied from a slight swelling in his lungs, telling of most common respiratory illness, down to blisters on his feet; he'd had a few ribs broken in the past and they'd healed themselves – a little jaggedly, but fully healed nonetheless.

"Nothing major, but he's not healthy either...I'd imagine he's been living rough for a few months, maybe a year,"

"How's the chakra-suppressant?"

"Still working, he won't even be able to activate his sharingan, let alone use them for quite a few hours yet,"

"Good...I'll see what Sai has to report; Ino, as soon as he's conscious enough, find out what you can,"

"Hai, Taichou," Kakashi disappeared in a blur of movement as Ino turned back to Sakura before allowing her eyes to fall on the unconscious male in front of them, "I never imagined we'd be in this position..."

"No...I never thought we'd one day team up against him, ne? Even  _after_  everything that's happened...in our childhood and the war,"

"...Sakura? Are you there?" Sasuke's groggy voice sparked both the kuniochis' attentions, "I've been looking for you,"

"I'm aware...why?" She asked tentatively, but as solidly as as she could muster, as dared, well aware he could clam-up at any moment...not that that would prove much of a problem,

"Is Naruto here?"

"Not right now,"

"You're still a medic nin, aren't you? Why do my lungs ache?"

"You have a minor respiratory illness...is that the only reason you were looking for me?"

"One of them...I need to be healed," Sakura tutted in irritation,

"Still as arrogant as ever,"

"If you're a medic, the your purpose is to heal," He began to resist against his wrist bindings, but Sakura wasn't going to give him an inch,

"Ino," The other kuniochi nodded and formed the hand seals in a split second, taking over Sasuke's mind before the Uchiha could speak again.

 

"Medium height, dark hair, red eyes, you remember him?" Shikamaru asked carefully to the hunched over man leaning on the counter, his face screwed up as he searched his memory for someone who matched the description – it seemed familiar, but...

"I dunno...I get lotsa people in here wanting their tools fixed, it's hard to remember everyone individually," Shikamaru only just managed to suppress a sigh,

"Then, have you had anyone in here who'd asked you to fix anything unusual? Like a weapon or some odd metal work?"

"Naw, nothing like tha...wait, I did get one old man who used to come in here regularly, to ask if he could use my tools to sharpen his katana...said he was an old martial arts master, but was wanderin' and had lost his whetstones...he was a really quiet little thing, never said much but was pleasant enough...not that I could-a done anything to stop him if he took a dislikin' to me," The metalsmith grinned ruefully, but shrugged again and lifted himself upright, "If that's all fellas, I really must be getting back to work," Shikamaru nodded and offered a kindly smile,

"Right, thanks for your help," The two Leafs turned and left the foggy, rundown workshop, "It could have been Sasuke using a genjutsu," Chouji nodded, as they ambled down the deserted street,

"That would make sense...where to next? Maybe Sasuke would have regularly brought food here?" The Nara allowed a short chuckle to escape him,

"The way to a man's head is through his stomach, eh?"

"What?"

"Nothing, let's look around a little more," They turned around the next corner as Chouji found words for his concerns,

"Shikamaru?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think they'll do with Sasuke now? Will he be brought back to the village?"

"Not sure, it'll depend mostly on how cooperative he is, but who knows? Maybe he really will be brought back. Kami-sama, after all these years."

"I wonder how Naruto's fairing, this can't be easy on him and I doubt Sasuke's attitude will make things any better."

"…You're a good guy, Chouji," As they rounded a second corner, they both halted part-way through their next respective steps and pulled back, remaining hidden behind the corner of a building as they quietly observed four shinobi – from Hidden Waterfall as their haitai-ate's suggested – pause in front of a shop before walking inside. Shikamaru and Chouji edged closer, wanting to observe exactly  _what_  four Taki nin were doing in the Land of Fire, but they kept their advantage for the moment, hoping their unguarded actions would give something away; they watched and listened as the sound of smashing ensued – and a woman's pleads for them to stop their actions – their voices were gruff and superior,

"This town is ours, girly, whatever we want, we'll take." One of them stepped right up to in front of the woman, towering over her petite and hunched over figure, "Maybe you need a lesson in what that means," He threw a punch at the woman and knocked her flat to the floor and just as he'd crouched, one hand gripping her wrists together, and another going for the hem of her skirt; she struggled fiercely, shouting at him, but that only earned another fist to the jaw from him. His attention was suddenly drawn by Shikamaru's lazy drawl,

"Why don't you stop right there? It's not right to hit a woman, especially when you're good for nothing's throwing your weight around in a foreign country," The nin stood up, away from the woman and turned to the two Leafs, apparently not intimidated by them in the slightest,

"Oh yea? I do what I like and I go where I like, whatever I want, I take…and no one stops me, least of all a scrawny kid and a fat-ass," Shikamaru only smirked – as much confidence as his childhood friend had gained over the past few years, insults of a certain nature never failed to hit home with him. Chouji nearly shook with his anger at being so insulted – before the nin could so much as close his mouth at the end of his sentence, the heavy-weight Leaf darted forward and threw a punch with his over-sized fist at the nin so hard, it flung him backwards five feet and straight into the brick wall behind him.

The three other nin looked positively petrified but as soon as it occurred to them to run, they found themselves frozen to the spot as a still livid Chouji advanced on them, his fist again re-growing to monstrous proportions,

"Easy, Chou, only enough to knock them unconscious, I'm sure Kakashi-Taichou would like to have a word with them." The final blows were deal with swiftly and as Shikamaru released the jutsu they crumpled to the floor like corpses; the Nara set about binding their legs and arms securely as Chouji turned back to the woman, extending his – now – normal sized hand to her,

"Are you all right? Don't worry, we won't hurt you, I'm heir to the Akimichi Clan, Akimichi Chouji," He smiled down at her as she still quivered on the floor, obviously unsure whether to trust the two, seemingly friendly, but immensely powerful men; Chouji easily saw her hesitancy and crouched down, his smile never fading as he pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and offered it to her, her nose still streaming with blood, "Don't worry, we're the honourable sort, who only hurt guys like  _those_ ," He shot a nasty look at the still unconscious nin who'd hit her, "…What's your name?"

"H-Hitomi Yana,"

"Aah, a very pretty name!"

"Chouji, I'm going to go and report in to Kakashi-Taichou what we've found, and I'll bring Sakura back with me, stay here, will you?" Shikamaru was half out of the door as he addressed his teammate,

"Sure thing," Chouji turned back to the woman who'd sat up, but hadn't gotten to her feet yet; he moved to sit beside her, careful to leave a good two feet between them – not too close, he thought, "My teammate's gone to report what's happened here and he'll bring our medic back with him, she'll be able to heal that bruise of yours…I'm staying here to make sure those guys don't wake up and try to escape or try to hurt you again,"

"…" She was still reluctant to talk to him, it seemed, perhaps a different tactic would help,

"Do you own this shop? I couldn't help but notice all of the wonderful-looking cakes and pastries you have here…do you bake them yourself?" She still looked suspicious, but seemed to calm slightly at the fact he hadn't made any sort of a move towards her in the few minutes after the other man had left, she nodded,

"Y-yes, I do…"

"Aah! That takes real skill! I've been trying to learn how to bake my own cakes over the years, but they never seem to end up right…my mother nags at me that I keep adding too much flour too quickly or that I don't mix it for long enough, ahahah!" He was pleased at seeing a tiny twitch of a smile appear on her face at his last comment.

 

"Kakashi-Taichou!" Shikamaru leapt down from the branches to interrupt the group,

"Hmm? Shikamaru? Did you find anything?"

"Yes, well, sort of, we came across a group of Waterfall nin who were terrorizing one of the shops."

"What?"

"Yea, and by the sound of they were a pretty regular occurrence. We knocked them out and Chouji stayed behind to keep an eye out on them and a woman they were roughing over, she took a few nasty strikes from one of the nin, I'd like Sakura to take a look at her." Kakashi nodded, as much as he wanted to leave, he couldn't risk allowing Sasuke to escape, no matter how unlikely it seemed,

"All right, Sakura, you go with him, but meet up with Yamato and-" Just as the words were half-out of the Copy-Nin's mouth, two said shinobi landed in the clearing, "Report," Kakashi didn't miss a beat;

"We found where he was living all right, it wasn't pretty." Yamato replied as Kakashi eyed the dejected look on Naruto's face.

"Anything urgent?"

"Uh…well, not really."

"Okay, then stay here and guard Sasuke – keep an eye on Ino as well," Sakura had been close to the blonde who was shaking slightly with the effort of such prolonged jutsu usage, Naruto took his female-teammate's place as by Ino's side as Sakura shot him a grateful, and slightly sympathetic look whilst she rose to her feet and darted away with Kakashi and Shikamaru.

Said Nara swiftly explained everything that had happened as they raced back towards the small town; by the time they'd landed outside the small shop, barely ten minutes had passed since he'd left, but it seemed that Chouji had manage to make friends. As the three entered the small shop, Shikamaru couldn't help but grin at the sight of Chouji sat one side of the counter – the woman stood on the other – with a selection of cakes and pastries laid out on the top between them; the Akimichi had smudges of what looked to be chocolate around his mouth and a fork in his hand,

"Oh! Hey, you guys should try some of this cake, it's the best I've ever tasted!" Chouji greeted as Sakura walked immediately over to them, her instincts kicking in the second she set eyes on the split lip, slightly mangled nose and purplish bruise blossoming on the woman's cheek,

"My name is Haruno Sakura, and I'm a medic, may I take a look at your injuries?" The woman seemed to instinctively avert her eyes to Chouji, who nodded encouragingly,

"S-sorry…I don't mean to be rude, it's just…with the way things have been around here recently…"

"It's all right," Sakura returned gently as she summoned her healing chakra to her hands and raised them slowly to the woman's face, initially to examine the extent of the damage;

"There were only these four men you came across?" Kakashi asked, eyeing the still comatose nin laid in a row at the side of the small shop,

"Hai, but that doesn't mean there aren't others."

"Hmm," Kakashi suddenly kicked one of the nin in the ankle but there was no response, "I don't like the thought of Taki nin crossing the border with such little care…we maybe tentative allies, but border crossing is no small thing."

 

Naruto sat hunched with his elbows resting on his knees, keeping his stare on Sasuke; Yamato had gone to keep watch and Ino had fallen unconscious after utilising her jutsu for so long.

"Naruto? Are you there?" The blonde eyed him warily, not quite trusting the seemingly innocent tone of the Uchiha's voice.

"What do you want?"

"To talk. How have you been?"

"Why do you suddenly care now? After all this time, we've been searching for you and you threw it in our faces… why? Why now?" Naruto only just managed to catch himself before his words left him as a shout,

"Sorry." Sasuke said and Naruto's mouth snapped shut as quickly as it had opened,

"W-what?"

"Sorry for causing you so much trouble,"

Naruto couldn't help his lightning bolt of suspicion and intuition told him he was right to do so, "What's with your change of heart? If I didn't know better, I think you weren't really Sasuke."

"What makes you think it is?"

Naruto gave a derogatory snort, "Funny, some people used to consider you a genius, not me of course, I always knew you were stupid," Sasuke probably wasn't aware that along with gaining control over the Kurama, he'd also been able to tap into the heightened senses of the fox – smell and instinct (something he could only really think of, being like intuition, he could sense the danger or significance of a situation before it even happened) being the most powerful.

"You're thinking of yourself dobe, not me."

Naruto's eye automatically twitched in irritation as the name brought up old, painful – but strangely nostalgic memories – he held his tongue for a moment, watching the smile creep onto Sasuke's face; it was the typical smirk Naruto recognised well, but it faltered quickly at the lack of reciprocation. "What the hell do you want, Sasuke? Why are you suddenly so interested in Sakura-chan and me?" Sasuke twisted his head around, finally looked over to his blonde-friend, although the effect was slightly creepier with bandages covering his eyes;

"I used to think you were useless, both of you, but now I think you might have a use after all,"

"Why? Do you think we'll become your henchmen now you've lost your other teammates?" Naruto asked,

"…'Lost'? Who says I  _'lost'_  them?" Naruto liked neither his old-friend's words nor the tone they were spoken with; "They're gone, yes, and would have become useless to me now, anyway, but I didn't  _lose_  them,"

"Sasuke, what do you mean? Did you… kill them?"

Another, tiny curl tugged at the Uchiha's lips, "Same old soft-hearted Naruto."

"You bastard-"

"I didn't kill them. Well, not all of them, but I  _am_  responsible for their deaths in a way, I suppose." Naruto wasn't sure how to respond to that, but thankfully, Kakashi, Shikamaru, Sakura and Chouji returned, each with an unconscious man slung over their shoulders,

"Wha–? Kakashi?"

"Naruto, go and fetch Yamato and Sai, we're leaving immediately." Said blonde immediately sprung to his feet and dashed away, "Sakura, what's wrong with Ino?" The medic was already checking her friend over and shaking her shoulder gently,

"Nothing, just asleep it seems, she must have used her jutsu for too long." Sakura answered, Kakashi frowned lightly in disapproval for her apparent carelessness for such a delicate situation, but he hoped she'd have some valuable information to justify it.

"…Are they those four Takigakure nin?" Sasuke asked blandly at the four faint, but corresponding thuds as they men were dropped to the ground, "Were they beating up that woman again?" His voice was completely dispassionate,

"So they were doing it before?" Chouji asked, his voice thickly laced with resentment, "You stood by and let them do it?" Sasuke shrugged, turning his head away, although there was no real need without the pressure of eye contact,

"It was none of my business."

"Non-" Kakashi put his hand out to stop the Akimichi, himself disgusted that his once-student would be so unfeeling as to stand by and watch innocent civilians be brutalised.

"Enough, Chouji, we need to clear up and get moving, bind a leading-rope to Sasuke's wrists. Shikamaru, Sakura," He beckoned the Nara and Sakura over to him as he stepped out of ear-shot of the Uchiha, "When we get moving, I'll be taking lead and Sai will take up the rear – I want Sasuke as central as possible, you to run directly behind him, Shikamaru, and Naruto just behind you. I want you to keep your eyes on Sasuke as if the slightest thing seems amiss, trap him with your Kage Mane no jutsu [shadow imitation] and be prepared to use the Kage Kubi Shibari [shadow neck bind] if necessary."

"Hai,"

"Sakura, keep another vial of the chakra suppressant handy and give it to him immediately if you think it's necessary. How much longer will the previous dose last?"

"It's not easy to say, it lasts fully for twenty hours on an average Chuunin level shinobi, but on Sasuke it could be reduced to less than half before he could again summon the sharingan. I'll give him the second vial if necessary, but I want to check him over before we leave, there still being the best part of two days return journey, I don't want to squander the remaining vials of suppressant." Kakashi nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'll talk to Naruto and Sai, you check him over." They returned the main camp and Kakashi swiftly instructed the group in the formation, as Sakura pressed a hand to Sasuke's forehead,

"You're going to take me back to Konoha, now, aren't you?"

"Yes." Sakura could feel that not even a fourth of the suppressant had been burned off – and it had been rising four hours since she'd administered it; usually, at about the 80% mark that the shinobi could again begin to sense their own chakra, although faintly – like the beginning of sensation returning after a particularly bad bout of pins-and-needles.

Guessing, that he'd need a re-dose in about an six hours, Sakura could only hope that they'd be able to make good enough time so as to return to Konoha well before there should be any risk of the need for another fight. Just as they all readied them selves to get into position four of them each picking up a Taki shinobi, Sakura slipped a kunai beneath the bandages covering Sasuke's eyes and she all too quickly found herself staring into the dark, cold eyes of her former teammate and childhood infatuation.

..

.

A/n – I speak of 'burning off the chakra-suppressant' and the way I imagine it, would be that the stronger (or larger) the innate source of chakra a shinobi has, then the more it will 'resist' against the suppressant…I guess I'd imagine it to be like shoving a cork into a faucet then turning the power on a little (i.e. weak/low chakra) the cork will remain for a long time, but if you turn it up, the pressure is too great – make sense? I hope so, lol! 

 


	9. Stubborn Boy

 

They set off at a fast pace, with Kakashi, Yamato, Chouji and Naruto each carrying one of the waterfall nin; it was heavy going, but they managed a good many miles before the Waterfall nin began to stir. Sasuke had been surprisingly well behaved, too; Shikamaru had kept a very close eye on him, but he'd yet to put a foot wrong – the Nara wasn't quite sure what to make of it, he'd never liked the dark-haired age-mate and he'd always disliked the fact the Uchiha seemed to possess a permanent ulterior-motive.

He'd only be happy when Sasuke was safely in the hands of the Intel and Interrogation Division. They must have managed a good thirty kilometres into Fire by the time the first Taki nin began to stir – the unfortunate bastard happened to be being carried by Naruto who had the swiftest reactions of any of them. The nin groaned initially, obviously unable to make out where he was or what was happening, he shuffled his legs and arms as best he could, but Naruto had slammed to a halt and jostled the nin,

"You stay still and we won't have any trouble," Naruto growled as his grip tightened on the nin, who yelped in surprise, full realisation of his predicament;

"But-what… what's going on?" He continued to struggle as Kakashi doubled back to speak to the now awakened nin,

"Your presence in Fire constitutes an illegal activity and you are being taken to Konoha."

"Wh…" The nin trailed off as one of the other Waterfall ninja's – who'd recently awoken as well, suddenly managed to jerk himself free of Yamato's grip and fell straight down to the forest floor, unfortunately for him, in a short sighted escape attempt. It was enough, however, to have both Yamato and Ino darting off to secure him and this, Sasuke apparently thought, was enough for him to perform his expect duty as prisoner and attempt to escape.

This was by no means enough for even Shikamaru to bat an eyelid as he and Sakura didn't so much as even share a nod before they both darted off, hot on Sasuke's trail. He might we weak, ill and without his chakra, but the Uchiha was still a genius and could out-wit the best of them – unlikely for him, that did  _not_  include the wily Nara. Sakura had veered off to loop around whilst Shikamaru chased, waiting for the opportune moment to pin Sasuke, he was swift but nowhere near as fast as what he could remember – maybe Sasuke was more ill than Sakura had let on? That, or he was playing a suspicious game… putting the thought aside, he readied his chakra and his hands to execute his clan's signature jutsu as there was a loud shout ("Iiyaaah!") as a great tree crashed down, forcing Sasuke to pause momentarily as Shikamaru struck and trapped him with his own shadow,

"You hold it right there."

"Let me go, Nara, I can't go that way."

"In case you haven't noticed, Uchiha, you're  _not_  in a position to be making any demands."

Sakura appeared by Shikamaru's side, "What do you mean you 'can't go that way'?"

"I just can't, that's all. Let me leave or I'll kill you." Sasuke half-answered, Shikamaru smirked slightly,

"I'd like to see you try…"

"What's going on?" Kakashi arrived on the scene, his slowly spinning sharingan fixing upon Sasuke, who glared back as best he could without his kekkei-genkai at his disposal;

"It's under control, Kakashi-Taichou…but he seems to be adamant at not returning to Konoha."

"That is  _not_  what I said," The pompously angry voice of Sasuke cut across, "I said that I will not go  _that way._ " Kakashi quirked an eyebrow,

"Why not?" He didn't answer, Kakashi cocked his head slightly, in a more mocking gesture than anything else, at the continued silence he offered a goofy grin, "Well then, since there is no reason, let's go-"

"No! I will not."

"Why?"

"…I will not go that way, that's all." Kakashi could easily imagine that if Sasuke had had free use of his limbs, he would have folded his arms and turned his head away,

"But, since you can't give me a decent reason why – not to mention the fact you are my prisoner and have no say in this matter, you'll be following my orders, so be a good boy and shut your mouth."

"Damn you, old man, I'll-"

"Sakura," He cut across as the kuniochi charged her fist with a very well planned amount of chakra and struck the dark haired shinobi on the jaw, knocking him out flat; Shikamaru released the jutsu at the same time, knowing Sakura's aim would be probably at the bottom of the list of things to question about the situation as she caught his crumpled form. Kakashi moved to pick up the Uchiha and slung him over his shoulder, after he'd swiftly bound his hands and feet;

"I've cast a genjutsu on the four Waterfall nin and they should behave enough to run with us for the next few hours, but there's no telling when they might realise and break out of the jutsu, so we'll all need to be on extra-cautious guard,"

"Hai, Kakashi,"

"Hai, but, Taichou, don't you think you should let someone else carry him? With the strain of keeping the genjutsu as well…" Shikamaru trailed off as the three started back towards the main body of their enlarged team,

"I understand, Shikamaru, but casting a genjutsu with the sharingan takes considerably less chakra and concentration than doing so by conventional means, even for me; but don't worry, I'll still be the first alerted if any of them break free, but I'll have to depend on your guys to deal with them."

"Hai,"

"There's a change to the formations as well, firstly Yamato and I will be switching places, but everyone else will remain the same; secondly, the Taki nin will run with us in formation – one between Naruto and Chouji, the second between Chouji and Shikamaru, the third between myself and Ino and the fourth between Ino and Sakura…understood?"

"Hai, Taichou," Sakura and Shikamaru responded in unison. They then landed on the final branch to see the Yamato stood at the head of the team grinning at them, with everyone else in line as Kakashi had explained,

"Ready, sampai?"

"Hai," The three nin darted into position as swiftly as they could and the troop again set off running at just below top speed (which, in itself was below a sprint), the Leafs, at least, were cautious but swift in their footfalls as they were eager to return to their village and shed their burdens in the form of now  _five_  captured nin. But their senses were especially heightened to the shinobi running just below and behind them, who, at any moment could awake from their genjutsu and attack them – even in the relative safety of the heartland of Fire, it guaranteed nothing.

Kakashi could feel the steadily growing strain on his system, it was extremely light and the first few hours didn't bother him all that much, but as time wore on, he could feel it compounding on itself – like keeping an arm outstretched for too long. More and more of his focus was going to keeping the genjutsu, another portion went to making sure he directed the appropriate chakra and concentration to planting his feet correctly on each tree branch – as well as compensating for the extra weight he was carrying in the form of one unconscious Uchiha.

He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to keep up the genjutsu, how much longer did they have left of daylight? It was long past noon, but in the thick cover of this (particularly evergreen) section of the forest, it wasn't easy to see how much light they had left – perhaps they could begin to look for a place to make camp for the night. Just as he opened his mouth to make a suggestion, he felt a sudden convulsion run through Sasuke, the boy suddenly tensed again as his head jerked up and he screamed; the entire company slammed to a halt. Kakashi struggled to keep a grip on the now wriggling shinobi who continued to scream and groan as though in agony,

"Sasuke!" Kakashi dropped to the ground as he pulled the nin from his shoulder, "Sasuke!"

"Ugn…ge-get me out of….guwwaaaa!" He shook again as his face screwed up in pain; Kakashi was thoroughly confused as he whipped up his haitai-ate and eyeballed the surrounding woodland;

"Sampai, what's going on? Why is he screaming?" His teammates dropped to the ground, Team Yamato and Sai remained aside to watch the Waterfall nin but were obviously keeping an ear or two on Sasuke, who was still writhing in pain.

"I don't see anything… Naruto! Do you sense anything nearby?"

"Wha? No! There's nothing…" Sasuke was still screaming, and it was getting louder and more agonised as Naruto foolishly looked around him worriedly; Kakashi sighed in aggravation as he lifted Sasuke and leapt backwards several meters until the Uchiha calmed somewhat and he fell limp, "Naruto! In  _sage_ mode, do you see anything?"

"Oh…oh! Sorry, Kakashi-sensei," The Kyuubi frowned lightly in embarrassment as he took a number of deep breaths and stepped backwards, leaping up into a nearby tree; Sakura crouched beside Sasuke and pressed a medicinal chakra enhanced palm to his forehead,

"What's happening?" She shook her head slightly at Kakashi's question,

"Nothing… there's nothing physically wrong with him."

"But, then why was he acting like someone had just blasted him with a Goukakkyuu?"

She met his eyes, and shrugged, "I don't know, I can't explain it."

Kakashi pursed his lips, confused at Sasuke's strange reaction to… _nothing_  and irritated at precisely that same 'nothing'. "Well, I think we should make camp here for now, until we gather more information, Sai, Ino, bind the Waterfall nin; Chouji, Shikamaru and Yamato, scout the surrounding area and set traps," They all darted away to complete their respective tasks as Sasuke awoke again; he winced very subtly as he leaned to try to sit up be he quickly flopped back down again,

"…I told you…not to bring me here."

"And we were supposed to take you at your word?" Sakura snorted in response, "Why didn't you say that this would happen? What exactly  _is_  happening to you anyway?"

"D…dunno…just pain."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Thanks for being so oddly specific."

"Sakura, what would you do to inflict pain but no injuries on someone?" Kakashi suddenly drew her attention,

"Hmm, there are a number of ways, nerve stimulation is usually favoured by the torturer,"

"How would you do that?"

"There are a lot of ways, from electrical currents to chakra."

"Tell me about the chakra method."

"It usually the interrogator will force their chakra into the victim, directing it specifically to nerve cells where the sudden influx of stimulation from the chakra will cause the sensation of pain."

"Would there be any way to tell that that had happened? Could you check to see if that's what's happened to Sasuke?" She shook her head slightly,

"No, not really, the amount of chakra needed is minute, but besides that, how could that sort of torture possibly have been administered, here?"

 

"Kakashi! I found something! Over here!" Naruto's voice drew said Jounin over to him, the sagely jinchuuriki who was pointing a large, old tree; it was fairly dishevelled looking as though it was on its last legs, "I can sense a very faint chakra source from inside that tree, but it's really odd… it's like someone has stored there chakra there, somehow."

Kakashi remained outwardly passive, but on the inside there were only more questions – like  _who_  would 'store' their chakra in a tree? Why would they do so? And why would it be of harm to specifically Sasuke? Kakashi stepped forward as he drew a kunai out of his pouch and slotted it into a split in the bark before forcing it wider open, Naruto quickly joined in and the rotted tree finally gave way, with a satisfying crack as a large portion of the trunk snapped off and crumpled to the ground.

Brushing away some of the debris, Kakashi lifted his haitai-ate to look through his sharingan as he caught a glimpse of a glowing chakra, he reached out for it and pulled what looked like a paper seal out from the beneath the rotted wood. As he gripped it and got a clear sharingan-eye-view of it, he was suddenly overcome with a horrible sensation, it started out as more of an irritation but it quickly grew to excruciating levels of pain all over his body – he felt like someone had set him on fire… in the bad kind of way.

"Ugn...guh..." As his grip went slack and his eyes snapped shut, he hunched over, desperately trying to reign in the scream of pain he wanted to emanate, his mind unable to focus on anything but the unbearable pain he was somehow in.

"Kakashi!" He felt Naruto's hand on his shoulder and as soon as he realised it, the pain was gone and he felt slightly numb, but otherwise back to normal, "Are you all right? What the hell happened?"

"I… I don't know," He cracked his normal eye open and sparsely looked around, his eye fell on the seal before he could stop it he immediately tensed by instinct, preparing himself for the wave of pain, but nothing happened. Thirty seconds, a minute… still nothing, he opened his good eye again and looked more clearly at the seal, which lay upside down, propped against a small piece of bark from where he'd dropped it – the damn thing looked unfairly innocent for all the pain it had caused him seconds ago.

"Naruto, pick up the seal,"

"What? I'm not touching that thing!"

"Do it! The pain stops as soon as you let go anyway, but I need to know if its touch is what causes it to work." Naruto looked sceptically at him as he crouched down,

"...I dunno, Kakashi…"

"It's not a request, it's an order; pick it up!" Kakashi ordered again. Naruto grumbled under his breath as he slowly outstretched a hand, his index and thumb out ready to pinch the paper between them, as they inched slowly forward; Naruto began to lean his body backwards and his face began to screw up in anticipation of the mysterious pain-tag, but just as his fingers reached the paper – and pausing for a few more seconds – Naruto's forefinger and thumb suddenly snapped together and Naruto's body tensed sharply.

Nothing happened.

Naruto cautiously opened his eyes and looked around as he pulled picked the tag up and looked at it, as if making sure he  _really was_  touching it, before he let out a loud and excessively dramatic sigh of relief, his body visibly slumping as he realised the tag posed no danger to him. Kakashi rolled his eye at his excessively theatrical once-student and rose to his feet,

"Well? What do you feel?"

Naruto waved the tag in front of his own nose – it really did look harmless, "Nothing," The jinchuuriki too, rose to his feet as Kakashi lifted his head to look up at the canopy – despite the blinding pain immediately after, his sharingan hadn't failed to memorised what had been written on the seal. There was the kanji for 'invisible hell' written on it, with surrounding, much smaller kanji imprinted around it, that Kakashi couldn't make out at that distance;

"Naruto, it was glowing with chakra, wasn't it?"

"Yea, it was,"

"Then, do you  _recognise_  the chakra that it was glowing with?" It seemed desperately familiar somehow, but Kakashi just couldn't quite put a finger on it,

"Uh… I dunno, I keep thinking that it seems familiar, but…"

Kakashi turned, sliding his haitai-ate back down before he walked away, back over to the rest of the team, "C'mon, bring the tag," They returned within a few minutes, finding a fire set up and what was apparently dinner cooking,

"Kakashi-sampai? Did you find something?"

"We did indeed," Kakashi replied as Naruto held out the little seal much to the confusion of everyone in eyeshot, "Yamato, come here," The ANBU looked immediately suspicious but walked over to his team captain, "Take hold of it,"

"…Why?"

"Just do it," Why were all these formerly-hardened men suddenly afraid of a little slip of paper? Yamato continued to look suspicious, but reached out for the paper and took a hold – again, with  _nothing_ happening to him. Kakashi repeated the exercise with everyone present (including touching it to the Waterfall nin, but it was just the same, the seal with ineffectual with everyone  _except_  himself and Sasuke).

So what gave he and Sasuke a common factor?

The only thing Kakashi could realistically think of was the sharingan – that was the only thing unique to them both, but  _not_  anyone else present. But what did that signify? Who held his kind of power (and this kind of grudge) to set up such a…  _random_  trap for Sasuke? The Copy Nin wondered if he  _hadn't_ been affected on the run up this way to get Sasuke, because of the fact he had no actual  _Uchiha_ blood or chakra, but for what naturally resided in the transplanted eye. Was it that fact that meant he had to be much closer, in physical contact with it, for it to become effective? But before Kakashi could begin to postulate on an answer, another question struck him,

"Naruto, bring the tag over here for a few moments."

"Why?" The blonde asked as he rose to his feet and stepping closer to his Taichou,

"When Sasuke reacted before, he was further away from this tag, but right now – he's barely four meters from it, why isn't he screaming in pain?" Sasuke scowled at Kakashi's choice of words, as silver-hair walked up to Sasuke and traced his steps slowly around him, Naruto followed, holding the tag out closest to Sasuke – as though he were performing an exorcism. Both shinobi walked with slow and purposeful steps, at first, as they were stood immediately in front of him (the Uchiha was now propped up, with his back to a tree, although still tightly bound), there was no change in the nin's demeanour, they then began to circle him slowly, and as soon as Naruto and the tag had passed parallel to Sasuke, he stiffened and gasped in pain, his eyes screwing up slightly with it.

Naruto was swift to step backwards and Sasuke relaxed, Kakashi watched carefully – was just like when he held onto and let go of the seal, there was some threshold being broken here, which caused Sasuke the pain, but Kakashi was damned if he knew what it was.

"Naruto, circle around the tree," Sasuke glared at his once-sensei,

"You sick bastar-aahhh!" Same as before, just as Naruto reached parallel, the pain began again and as soon as Naruto stepped  _just_  off parallel, on the far side of the Uchiha, the pain stopped. Sasuke was still panting as he found spare breath to curse, foully, at the Copy Nin,

"If you'd just  _told_ us what was up here, you could have avoided this, Sasuke. Do you know who set this trap here?" The Uchiha's eyes hardened slightly, an obvious signal to the Copy Nin, but verbally, the once-avenger gave no answer. "Hmm… if you refuse to answer I will have to continue experimenting with what this all means…" Sasuke growled slightly in anger,

"So, what? You're going to torture me with all of this? Is this going to be  _your_  revenge for all I did against Konoha?" Sasuke asked and Kakashi raised an eyebrow,

"Now there's an idea I hadn't considered…" He trailed off pretending to genuinely consider it; Kakashi had no trouble admitting (either to himself or anyone else) that he did possess something of a sadistic streak (something he thought was somewhat inevitable from his childhood bitterness and the things he'd done in his career as shinobi), but Kakashi  _did_  have an excellent handle on it. He knew precisely how far "too far" was – and there were those who would never face the full brunt of that sadism in him – and his former students were prime examples.  _All_  of his former students... no matter what sins they'd committed in the past, he would never be truly so cruel (even if a small voice in him thought they might deserved it at one point or another).

"Well, the only thing we can say is that whilst the tag is in  _front_  of Sasuke, it doesn't affect him," Sakura piped up,

"True. Ino, did you come across anything about this when you scanned his mind?"

"No, nothing beyond a memory of his encountering this beforehand, and moving to keep well out of the way of whatever this is."

"Hmm, well, there's not much else we can do until morning. I want to be on the road as soon as possible, by dawn."

"Hai, Taichou,"

"I'll take first watch, Yamato next, then Chouji, then Ino… and that should get us through the night, but if not, then Sakura, you take final watch." After the agreements were made, they sat down to eat dinner and were just as soon quiet, with the rest of the camp, asleep or attempting to stave it off.

Perhaps an hour had passed before Sasuke spoke, his eyes focussed on Kakashi, who was sat relatively close by, in good proximity to both Sasuke and the Waterfall nin,

"Are you really going to use that tag-thing against me?"

"…Why do you seem to think I will?"

"…"

"Do you think you  _deserve_  for it to be used on you?"

"Don't be stupid,"

"You always been antagonistic, Sasuke, and you've often flouted my authority over you, but I've never known you to be quite this rude to me." Sasuke's only response was a snort of contemptuousness, as he averted his eyes from the elder nin and back towards the fire, "What happened, Sasuke, after the War? Where did you go?" The Uchiha's eyes darted over to the left, but not quite far enough to meet Kakashi, but he didn't make any effort to verbally respond. "I'll be finding out one way or another, so if you're too scared to tell me now, then-"

"I've nothing to fear from  _you_ … you mean nothing to me."

"Oh? I mean nothing? Might I remind you that you are currently under  _my_  control, you are  _my_  prisoner and I have the capability of inflicting sever pain on you without even touching you and I am inconsequential? Hardly." Kakashi watched carefully for the reaction his words and tone of voice elicited,

"You're not invincible, Kakashi, but you always seem to think so. It wouldn't take very much effort to crush you like the bug you are." The Copy Nin raised an eyebrow, obviously unfazed,

"Is that what you think? That's funny, because the last two battles we've had you've failed to so much as severely injure me, hardly the 'crushing' you envisioned, was it? And I am very well aware of my own mortality, thank you, although, I must say you've certainly helped to reassure my self-confidence." The rage and surprise on Sasuke's face was easily visible,

"You-your strength only comes from the power of the Uchiha – It's not really yours at all, that eye you stole has afforded you more fortune than what you deserve."

"You know nothing, Sasuke and I'm tired to having to repeat the same old lessons to you. Since you're unable to tell me anything of interest, I'm going to turn in."

"Running away already? Who'd of thought the 'Copy Ninja' was  _scared_?"

"Sacred? No. Tired? Yes, and I'm equally tired of talking in circles with you," He rose to his feet and walked over to Yamato, who stirred at the approaching presence, "Your turn, Yamato and don't be afraid to gag him if necessary," Kakashi offered a falsely cheerful smile as he said the last part, but the ANBU knew him well enough to know it was half-true at least,

"Hai, Taichou; goodnight,"

"Night."

 

They'd managed the early start that Kakashi had wanted, Sasuke had been given another dose of chakra suppressant and – they decided, as long as Yamato kept a hold of the pain-seal, Sasuke remained unaffected and they were again able to continue running. The Waterfall nin had been generally well behaved, but they grumbled something awful at being made to run so far so fast – the Copy Nin's response to the apparent-leader had been an unimpressed look and a gag – then being slave-driven the last few kilometres to Konoha. They'd thankfully faced very little trouble over all for the remainder of the return journey and everyone seemed to be feeling the stress of the mission as a whole.

Kakashi had sent his dogs on ahead to Konoha, once they reached the twenty-kilometre perimeter around the hidden village and as a consequence, Tsunade, Ibiki and a team of ANBU were there to meet them at the gate.

"Well, well, Sasuke returns at last," Tsunade smirked at him as he was handed over to Ibiki and the Waterfall Nin were taken by the ANBU team, "All of you come with me, Ibiki, get started right away,"

"Tsunade-sama, I think it would be most beneficial for Ino to go with Ibiki,"

"Very well, get going," They near flew off to their respective destinations as Tsunade found herself more eager to listen to the report of what had happened than she anticipated. As soon as they were safely in her office, she questioned Team Yamato first, listening to all of their reports of the Waterfall nin and their involvement with the fight against Sasuke; they were quickly dismissed and then began the incredibly long discussion of everything that had happened since they'd left Konoha not even a week previously.

* * *

Kakashi's head was spinning by the time he'd left Tsunade's office – it was nearly dark, too,  _Kami-sama,_  how many hours had it been? Tsunade didn't like the sound of the seal and agreed with Kakashi on a lot of his conjecture, but she took a hold of it and had Shizune run it down to Ibiki anyway. He could see, as well, that she wasn't sure what to make of the state Sakura described him to be, or the state of his home, as described by Naruto – but she'd held her tongue and allowed the them to do most of the talking – bar the occasional question, she'd then dismissed them with the understanding they were to write up their reports and have them on her desk by early afternoon the day after tomorrow.

He strolled leisurely down the streets on his way back to his apartment, he was pleased to be back in Konoha, and looking forward to having the day of tomorrow (bar all the writing) – he definitely needed it. The past two missions… no, the past three missions had all been far more emotionally stressful than he was used to or than he knew how to handle and he really wanted to relax and sleep for as long as possible but somehow, he knew that he wouldn't find any restfulness in his apartment. He'd never thought of it as "home", but it had never truly bothered him so much before, even the thought of his tiny, uncomfortable flat made him want to sigh in dissatisfaction.

He'd even stopped for Ichiraku ramen on his way home (which he'd carefully timed it to avoid Naruto's sitting and even as he sat down, Teuchi was still wiping his brow from the effort of catering to the younger nin's voracious appetite); he'd been to the memorial stone first, hoping that it would calm the storm in his mind and allow him to begin to wind down. It  _had_  helped, standing there in the cool dark, his mind slowly working through everything that had happened – whilst trying to put aside the still unanswered questions of the tags and the Waterfall nin – it was all a bit much for his overly tired brain to deal with, without the boost from adrenaline he'd have if he were in the midst of a mission.

As he stood in the doorway of his apartment, he'd felt it the most keenly – that this space was unwelcome and left him with a nasty sense of restlessness; he slipped his sandals off and shed his flak jacket after he'd closed the door, and readied himself as swiftly as possible for bed – hopefully all of this was just his fatigue talking.

..

.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n – Inherently, I think, that even if someone's chakra has been suppressed, there would still be enough trace amounts in their cells – not enough to mould, perhaps, but probably enough for a sensor type to identify them… or a specially made seal to activate, lol, or at least, that's the theory I'm working on XD


	10. Homestead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is where the fun of this story begins! ^_ ^

 

 

"Well, then I guess that settles it, Ibiki and Inoichi are still deciphering Sasuke, as well as that seal – the tight-lipped bastards won't tell me anything until they've fully explored every option, so it'll still be a little while, but I'll call you the moment I hear anything. Now, I'd like you all to take some time off, you've had two tough missions in quick succession so I want you all to get some rest, understood?"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," They all chirped back (or variations of that title), but Sakura continued,

"What will be done with the four Taki nin?"

Tsunade smirked sadistically, (trespassers, apparently, along with those who arrogantly flout rules, where among Tsunade's top,  _top_  pet peeves), "Oh, don't worry about them, Ibiki's given them to some of the trainee interrogators to practice on." Team Kakashi all felt a slight cold chill at what those Waterfall nin were in for, but chose to say nothing further, "Dismissed," All bar Kakashi bowed and stepped away, but both Naruto and Sakura looked back to their team leader, who'd remained uncharacteristically still, "Kakashi? Is something wrong?"

"Yea, Kakashi-sensei, what's wrong?" Naruto mirrored the Hokage, but was the one to draw his attention,

"Naruto, how many times? Stop calling me 'sensei'…besides, can't you give an old man some privacy? I need to speak to the Hokage,  _alone._ " 

"But if there's something wrong, I wanna help! Isn't that what teammates should do?" Naruto replied through his pout. Kakashi sighed,

"There's also something to be said for  _respecting_ your teammates." It was on days like this that Kakashi truly blessed Sakura's presence in his team "C'mon Naruto, I'm starving, let's go get something to eat," She jerked her thumb towards the door as she spoke.

"Aw, but Sakura-chan!"

"Get out, both of you," Tsunade cut across, which finally forced Naruto from the door, still grumbling under his breath, "Now what do you want?"

"To move house,"

"Eh?" That caught the sanin off guard, "You want to  _what?_ "

"To move house…I would like to move into my father's house. Since it is technically  _outside_  of the village walls, I thought I should seek your permission first." Kakashi explained as Tsunade's surprised expression slowly eased into one of clipped curiosity,

"I see, that's quite a change of heart considering how hesitant you were to so much as  _think_  about it, before." Although she couldn't see, she guessed he was pursing his lips,

"I'm aware."

"Hmm, well, I don't have a problem with it; you're sure the house is still structurally sound?"

"Hai, but if there are any problems, I shouldn't have too much trouble in fixing it." He said as Tsunade nodded,

"All right, maybe this will prove useful," He didn't like her smirk, "Naruto, Sakura! Get yourselves back in here."

"W-what? Tsuna-" The door was immediately flung open again, as his two former students stood there, Sakura looking a little sheepish and Naruto triumphant,

"You heard all of that, right?"

"Yea!"

"Then your informal mission will be to help Kakashi to move house."

"Alright!"

"Tsunade-sama, I really think…"

She fixed her eyes on the Jounin, "Oh? Are you changing your mind about moving, Kakashi?"

He sighed as his shoulders slumped, "…No, not at all, Hokage-sama,"

"Good, Kakashi will give you the details, now get out of my sight." She waved her hand as she turned back to her paperwork. Kakashi had to forcibly resist the groan of displeasure as Naruto punched the air, and flocked to his side as the three of them trudged out of the door;

"So, so, where's your new house? How big is it? Why do you want to move? When do you want to move? Have you started packing, yet-?" The Copy Nin did his best to drown out Naruto's endless questions as he pulled his copy of  _Violence_ from his pouch and flipped to a random page,  _Kami this was going to be a long week._

* * *

 

"Sakura, you're all right with that box?" Kakashi asked, unable to even see the kuniochi under the large cardboard box,

"For the last time,  _yes_!"

"I'm just asking because I don't want all of my crockery smashed." He said, earning a loud dramatic sigh, successfully telegraphing her irritation,

"There was tons of crockery at the house last time I was there!" If she could see, she would probably be annoyed by Kakashi's goofy grin,

"What?" Naruto cut across, "What have you two been doing?" He stood with his hands on his hips starting at them as he suddenly let go of the large box of weapons and shinobi accessories that he and two other clones had been handling – and both of whom were beginning to flail and shake as the weight the original had been holding up, suddenly unbalanced them,

"Nothing Naruto, there was a mission to that house and Sakura was chosen as my teammate – now watch it! My weapons have been carefully ordered and I want to find them just as I packed them!" Kakashi jabbed a finger at the box, which was tilting dangerously,

"Oh! Sorry," He immediately ducked under and caught the sinking edge, much to the clones' and Kakashi's relief;

"Now, let's go. Sakura..?"

"… _What?_ " Her tone of voice said it all,

"Please don't fall and smash my crockery." That apparently lit the fuse as she literally growled in irritation and leapt out of his open window to land on an adjacent roof as she shifted to carry the box above her head and she dashed away; as her bright pink hair flowed out from behind her, Kakashi had to, quite literally, bite his lip to keep from laughing: she looked like the most ridiculous burglar he'd ever seen.

Naruto laughed out loud at Sakura's actions and hurried as fast as he could behind her, Kakashi following too with his own (fairly modest) box filled with some of his more personal items he'd rather his once-students  _didn't_  handle (including his oh-so-precious but far-too-few volumes of  _Icha Icha_  and the items he'd collected from his father's house, those weeks ago) as well as his beloved, ever-faithful, Mr. Ukki.

It took a while to shift the bulky boxes through the dense woodland (and for Naruto's to keep his balance carrying something so awkward), but eventually the made it to the large and secluded house,

"S-sugei…this is your new house, Kakashi?"

"Mm-hmm," He balanced his box on one hand as he fished into his pouch to dig out the keys to unlock and slide back the heavy wooden security fusuma, as well as the second, more typical paper and wood version; letting himself in and standing aside to allow Sakura to follow him in and quickly set her box down before helping Naruto with the final case. Once they'd manoeuvred Naruto's and Kakashi's boxes into the living room, Sakura's into the kitchen, Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief,

"Okay, I want you both to return to my apartment and gather up the remainder of the boxes and then bring them here – you remember the way, Naruto?"

"Uh…"

"Haa, fine, then move together, I'll begin organising these boxes – and please, don't attract any attention!" Naruto grinned and gave a 'thumbs up' before he disappeared out the door, followed by Sakura; Kakashi absently wondered if he'd return to find his old apartment on fire… oh well, he'd have to trust Sakura to keep him in line. He turned back, slipping off his sandals as he went and set about, firstly, setting out all of his dishes and crockery in the cupboards and shelves, it was irritating having to clean off the dust and dirt that had already accumulated from his short absence since they'd cleaned it all those weeks ago.

Thankfully, it didn't take too long and was happy at how it looked much better for the signs of life again as he stacked the dishes and utensils he'd somehow come to amass over the years; just as he'd managed to deal with all of the tableware (but had yet to start on the cookware), Sakura and Naruto made another appearance, each carrying another two more modest boxes, in which Kakashi remembered he'd packed his clothes and spare accessories,

"Ah, good, just put them in the living room with the other boxes, how much is left?" He asked as Sakura turned to him, blowing the long strand of hair from her face as she did so – the weather might still be mild out for it being early spring, but the sun was bright and unobstructed by cloud;

"Another couple of book boxes, I think and probably a few more with linens in…"

"Okay…" He mentally calculated that the amount of stuff he had packed was about right, "So those should be the last of the boxes to bring… You wouldn't mind taking a last look around, would you, Sakura? I'm certain I've packed everything, but you can't be too careful."

"Yea, no problem; is there anything else?"

"…Yes, actually, while you're in the village, buy something for us for lunch, would you?" She rolled her eyes slightly but nonetheless agreed,

"Hai, hai,"

"Good, I want-" Sakura was already half-way out of the door as she shouted back,

"You'll want whatever I bring back." He snorted lightly in amusement but turned back to swiftly finish unpacking his kitchen before moving to begin shifting the relevant boxes into his bedroom; he'd unpack them later, he thought. Stepping back out into his corridor, he carried the box of toiletries into his bathroom at the far end of the hall, before pausing outside of, what he supposed, was now  _his_ study — he slid aside the door as he looked at it, the room completely bare – besides the desk, zabuton and tansu — and wondered what he was supposed to do with the place.

He'd never had a study before or, in fact, this much space to live in — he was used to his tiny, one room apartment with attached kitchenette (which was essentially a sink, cooker and cupboard) and miniscule bathroom. He liked it when he first moved in, there was just enough space for him whenever he was back from missions, but he did so many in those days, just to escape Konoha and his thoughts, that he was rarely there for as many as two consecutive nights.

As time wore on, he supposed that he just got used to living in the space – spending a majority of his off time outside (when the weather was fine) and a lot of his time was taken up with Team 7. But now he had this house, the space within seemed more of a comfort, rather than a glaring gap in his life he didn't know how to fill; he hoped the sensation wouldn't fade.

As his eye drifted over the room and the huge chest which stair stepped up the inside wall, a sudden thought struck him, smiling to himself he returned down the hall into the living room. Lifting Mr Ukki, he returned it to the study and put him on the far side of the tansu, on one of the steps, closest to the window and stepped back – he felt the flash of foolishness at his actions, but he couldn't deny how much better it looked with the addition of the plant.

It was just strange to him, that's all – it would just take time for him to get used to the space, but soon, it would be as though he'd lived there  _all_  his life.

It wasn't long before Sakura and Naruto returned with the last of his belongings and lunch – which turned out to be three bento boxes, not the most exciting, but satisfying and  _not_  ramen – after the last of the boxes were set down in the living room, they adjourned to the kitchen to eat lunch.

"So how did you know about this house, Kakashi?" Naruto asked, as soon as he'd eaten enough of his bento to ward off starvation,

"…Uh…I came across it as part of a mission, but the client decided not to buy the house and I chose to, instead." He hedged,

"Oh! Cool… what a weird mission, who'd you buy it from?"

"Well, no one, really," That wasn't  _strictly_  a lie, "In Fire, if a house had gone unclaimed for over thirty years, then it becomes available for anyone to purchase."

"Sill, it's pretty strange you'd come across a house just decide to buy it…"

"Perhaps…" Time for a change of subject, he thought, "I wonder if Ibiki will be able to figure out why Sasuke was asking after you two."

"Hey, yea! I really wanna know! Damn Sasuke didn't say anything to us. What was the point of trying to find us only to become a mute?" Kakashi shrugged as he took a lightning fast sip of tea, again denying his two companions the opportunity to see his face,

"He probably didn't want me to hear, which is silly in itself, you'd tell me anyway, right?" Sakura and Naruto immediately shared a glance at each other,

"…Uh, yea,"  _That_  was convincing,

"Well, either way, let's hope that we'll actually get some answers. I can't help but wonder at that tag, too, it just seems so  _random_  – a ninja's traps are supposed to be targeted and specific, but that wasn't."

"Well, maybe it  _is_  – we'd never have known it was there if we hadn't brought Sasuke through there, anyway." Naruto offered,

"That is true, Naruto. I guess it's just my instincts telling me there's more to it than a simple trap." They'd soon finished lunch and Kakashi was eager to get rid of them so that he could begin to unpack proper – he'd thanked them for his help (and promised he'd see them soon) and after a fair bit of arguing with Naruto, both younger nin left him in peace.

He turned his attention to his living room as he unpacked one or two extra zabuton and a small chabudai he owned; he didn't have much in the way of furniture (much of it came with the flat he owned and so was left behind) but he also swiftly put up the small book case he'd acquired and placed it in the corner of the room, stacking the book boxes next to it and swiftly transferring them from box to shelf.

He was satisfied that they all fitted, albeit in a fairly random order – he felt no need to meticulously order his books by category or alphabetically, although he had a healthy collection, it was easy enough to find what he wanted. He then decided to set out his bedding and stow away his clothes, he laid out his large shuriken patterned kakebuton [thick duvet] on top of the bed – since the sheets had been changed very recently, he saw no need to do so again – it also gave him the opportunity to wash the current set, which really did need it.

He then set out all of his (previously) neatly folded clothes – most of which needed  _refolding_ , he was beginning to feel like a damn housewife with all of the folding and setting of clothes and linens he was doing; but even so, the more of his possessions that he got out of boxes and into his cupboards, the better he felt.

It was already nearly dark by the time he'd finished with the task and he leaned to drop the box full of spare bed sheets into the bottom of the cupboard, simply to get it out of the way, when, through the dimness, a sudden movement and slightly  _creak_  caught his attention. Cautiously outstretching his hand, he felt what appeared to be a slat of one of the floorboards, propped up; pausing, he pulled back and rose to his feet to go and fetch one of the oil lamps he'd found in the kitchen and a box of matches he'd brought with him.

The additional – and surprisingly generous – light brought by the lamp allowed Kakashi to see what had happened; apparently there was a lose slat in the bottom of the cupboard, which had been lifted by the weight of the box on one end. Kakashi tugged at the slat and it pulled free, allowing him to lift it out, before returning his hand into the gap; he groped around blindly for a few minutes, feeling nothing but cobwebs before he felt the edge of something and he managed to drag it out – it was a small, but thick black book.

Curiosity gnawing at him, he sat back on his heels and opened the cover, which felt like thick but flimsy cardboard, and the spine cracked in protestation of the pressure; the first page was blank, but in the top right hand corner of the inside cover was the minute, but neatly printed kanji,

_Hatake Eiko._  Kakashi's mouth fell open slightly as he flipped the next page to find that it was a journal —  _the_  journal of his  _mother_  — the first date marked approximately four years before Kakashi's birth.

How much more  _was_  there to his house?

Kakashi allowed the cover to close again and set the diary carefully aside before he leaned forward again and dug his hand back into the secret compartment, unable to keep his heart from skipping a beat in excitement as his fingers brushed cool metal. He was forced to send both hands in lift up the metal box that weighed a  _tonne_ , and it took a bit of jiggling to fit it through the modest gap in the floor, but when he'd set it down in front of himself on the tatami mat, his hands were nearly shaking in excitement and curiosity.

The box had a no obvious locking mechanism and he would have felt any seals the moment he touched it – although all but the most complex of seals usually cancelled when the user died; he could feel the edges, demarking the lid and the dips were the hinges but be attached to the metal – although cleverly on the inside. He followed the seam of the lid around to the front – but there was no obvious indentation for lifting the lid; he'd noticed that there was only a very slightly clunk when he'd jostled the box, which meant that either there was one, large item, or many, very tightly packed together.

He'd hoped it was the latter.

He lifted his haitai-ate to look at the box with his sharingan, in case there was anything he might have missed, but all he could see what just the box, sat there, not much wider than his spread hand and only about three inches deep. Re-covering his sharingan, he pulled a kunai from his pouch and slotted it into the small gap beneath the lid and tested the pressure – there was almost no give in it.

He paused for a moment, before suddenly slamming his hand down on the end of the kunai and the lid burst off, with a plume of dust radiating out from the now open case. Waving away the grime, he saw two exploding tags stuck to the insides of the case, which had obviously failed to detonate – presumably due to their age; he carefully lifted the contents of the box out before creating a kage bunshin to pick up the box and walk out of the room with it.

Kakashi turned his attention to the pile of items he'd dragged out of the metal box – the first thing that caught his eye was a scroll. It was short, but tightly bound, he lifted it and carefully twirled it around his fingers, quickly finding the lip of the paper and unravelling it – carefully spotting the initial kanji for  _another_  exploding tag, he slowed his movements right down to near imperceptible; when he wanted to, Kakashi could sneak up on a goddamned  _deer._

Still, putting the best of his thirty-odd years of experience to good use he managed to unroll it enough to pull the tag free, although it began to smoke and flame just as he did so – thinking quickly, he performed his telaportation jutsu and managed to drop the tag in the middle of the empty near-by training field and get just far enough away that he avoided serious injury.

Though, that didn't mean he  _wasn't_ unceremoniously flung to the ground and showered in clumps of dirt and grass as his ears rang, obnoxiously. For the fact his mother was dead, didn't mean she couldn't try to kill him, apparently. As his concentration had faltered on his clone and the other two tags suddenly detonated (thankfully, a few hundred meters away in the same field –  _sweet Kami_ , he might just have the entire ANBU department out here looking for the invading forces, if he kept this up).

Eventually he made it back to his house, having brushed out the dirt in his hair and clothes (as well as bring the (remarkably almost unscathed) box back with him, before he resumed his search through the items – he decided not to tempt fate again  _just_ yet, he moved on to the pile of a papers. Just as he picked up them up, the bulk of the weight dropped back to the tatami mat with a surprising  _thunk_ ; he looked down to find a strange, metallic… _something._

Its looked sort of like what he'd imagine to take up the space between the late Asuma's knuckle knives and a sickle and frankly, Kakashi had no idea what to make of it; he'd never seen a weapon like it – it looked fairly difficult to handle and, especially in the sweaty-handed heat of battle.

There were no finger-holes or obvious, bandaged handle — yet, it was roughly the length of an average kunai; he reached down, but just as his fingers brushed the metal, he felt something – the ethereal and very odd sort of something like whenever he came into contact with another's chakra.

Pausing for a moment he dropped his fingertips to it again and felt only the cool metal; he slowly picked it up and held it by (what he presumed was) the handle, it fitted well into his palm, with the sharp curve of the sickle like end curving around, towards him, parallel to his hand.

A sudden familiar sensation alerted him to the fact that there was another presence in his house, he quickly gathered the sheets, scroll and metal-thing back into the metal box, closed it and quickly hid it and the diary back into the secret compartment. He slid closed his cupboard door and heading out of his room to come face to face with the maniacally grinning Green Beast of Konoha, as he stood in his entry-way.

"Kakashi, my man! Today, you have reached an important mile-stone in your youthful life!"

"Eh?" Gai held up a large saké bottle and a potted plant;

"Congratulations on moving into your first  _house_!" Kakashi blinked for a moment, before his lips curled very slightly into the tiniest of smiles – he could always count of Gai to make a celebration of anything. "Let us have a drink to toast this occasion!"

Kakashi could really do without this  _right now_  – he had some tantalising and mysterious family history to explore which was nagging at him and desperate for his attention, but Gai would not easily be turned away. That, and as much as Kakashi often looked upon Gai (and particularly his challenges) with apathetic acceptance – it was thoughtful of Gai to make time to come and see him this late at night;

"Ah-hahahah, thank you, Gai, I appreciate you making the time to come and see me."

"Um, yes… well, I was going to wait until tomorrow – and challenge you to a supreme test of our manliness at the same time, but, uh, I was in the Hokage tower and she asked me to stop by… speaking of which, what were all the explosions about?" Gai asked, Kakashi raised a hand to the back of his head,

"Uh, sorry about that, you see, I found a family of squirrels nesting in the roof, but they didn't like being disturbed and so one of them attacked me, but-"

"Stop right there! If you insist on continuing this outlandish lie, I'll need saké to endure the rest of it," Kakashi resisted rolling his eye, Gai did love a good sip of rice wine;

"Hai, fine, fine," Kakashi held his hand out, gesturing to his kitchen as Gai slipped off his sandals and walked through to the room, followed by Kakashi; the Green Beast took a seat at the table as Kakashi fetched two saké bowls and joined his long-time friend at the table.

"I also brought you this plant, Kakashi, you can keep it in a pot or plant it in the garden if you like."

"Thank you," They toasted and swiftly knocked back the wine; "He will go well next Mr. Ukki," Gai beamed and poured his childhood friend out another cupful of saké, which they again toasted.

"Tomorrow, I will challenge you to a super challenge! The best one yet!"

"Oh?"

"Yes! Though, I won't tell you yet, no, no! But you will certainly be surprised and it will be a challenge to test our most inherent of skills! To test the very foundation of our strengths and endurance!" Kakashi raised an eyebrow – obviously still nonplussed; Gai realised quickly, that he was alone in his tears of joy and up-raised clenched fist as the Copy Nin continued to look at him unenthusiastically, "Uh, but I will give you all of the details tomorrow - and the forfeit! Oh, ho ho ho! Even if you lose, you will still win, I think!"

"What does that mean?" Kakashi drained the last of his saké cup,

"No, I won't tell you, not yet! All will be revealed tomorrow!" Gai took another sip of saké, "But I really think you will be pleasantly surprised, my dear friend."

Kakashi silently wondered if this could well prove to be the challenge that finally claimed the last shred of his dignity – Gai was prone to, occasionally, hyperbole that could out-embellish the best of them; Kakashi was almost ashamed to admit it, but more often than once, Kakashi had fallen for it and ended up in some ridiculous situations (and injuries) as a result.

A scaled tongue from a hot tea drinking contest – he couldn't eat anything for almost four days – or, back in their younger years, on a mission to the south coast of Fire, they'd finished their duties and where invited to stay for an extra day by the man they'd completed the job for. Gai had suggested they engage in a jelly-fish catching completion – needless to say, Kakashi had suffered some nasty and  _embarrassing_  stings on his upper legs and buttocks, he could only manage awkward steps for a number days and it was nigh on a week before he could sit without wincing (he still won though, so that eased a bit of the pain).

He wanted to think that after some two and half decades of being challenged by Gai, he'd know better than to brazenly accept questionable contests which usually resulting in pain or humiliation of one sort or another, but somehow, he could never find quite a good enough excuse at the time of proposal;

"I'll have to wait and see, then, won't I?"

"Ha! Hahahah! That's the youthful and honourable response I'd expect from my eternal rival!"

The night continued in much the same fashion as Gai regaled his long time friend with a few of the more obscure tales about his former students and his life in general; it wasn't long before the last of the saké had been drunk and Gai stumbled to his feet, ready to leave and Kakashi saw him off.

By now, the Copy Nin was too tired and drunk to be able to read or analyse anything, he blearily made himself ready for bed (but not before forcing himself to drink a pint of water to fend off the worst of the hangover tomorrow) and as he lay in the darkness he couldn't quite help but breathe a sigh of relief.

It sounded silly for him to rationalise it in such a way, but really, Kakashi couldn't help it – as he thought about the house, even though it was still littered with boxed and un-sorted items, he smiled and for once – he actually felt at  _home._

 


	11. The Springtime Of Love

Kakashi awoke early to obnoxiously bright sunlight singeing his retinas, his mouth feeling like a rodent of some description had crawled into it and died and his stomach feeling as though Gai had tested out his new "bolder-buster no jutsu" on it. Groaning pathetically, he carefully rolled himself over so that he could free his legs and place them flat on the floor when he noticed that, not only was his bed a  _lot_ closer to the floor than it was in his apartment, but that he also felt the cool smoothness of tatami matting beneath his feet.

"What the-" His eyes snapped fully open as he looked around, a small grin forming on his unmasked face as he remembered, "Of course," He suddenly forgot his sickly feeling as he nearly jumped to his feet (now recalling the mysterious box and diary of his mother's he'd found the day before) – although he didn't managed to take so much as a step before his queasiness returned with a vengeance and he was forced to take a very swift detour via the bathroom.

Sometimes he thanked his ability as a ninja, a vomit stain on the tatami would certainly  _not_  be the ideal way to christen his new home.

_Kami_ , he was thirty seven, hadn't he learned his limit by now? Not when Gai was around and daring him to… _challenges_. "Kuso," He muttered underneath his breath as he fitted his toothbrush to his teeth, remembering the 'best challenge yet' the Bizarre Beast had proposed, Kakashi sighed and hoped that his 'damnable inability to understand a time-piece' would be his saving grace – Gai's challenges were always punishing when he was fully fit but on a hangover? Even  _Tsunade_  would win the bet on his certainty to lose.

Even so, Kakashi got himself dressed and traipsed to his kitchen and began to boil some water for tea, mourning the fact he had only some fruit for breakfast – although refreshing, it wasn't nearly substantial enough for a drunken stomach which hadn't eaten any dinner the night before, either. Once he'd eaten enough, he returned to his room and dug out the box and diary once again before heading out to sit on the decking overlooking his garden – the sun was still bright and warm enough.

He decided to start on the diary first, this time; he started with the front cover and looked carefully at every square centimetre – just because a page appeared to be blank, it didn't mean it had nothing to say. Kakashi stared carefully at her name, able to distinguish it as different from Sakumo's handwriting, so he presumed it to be her own. He turned over the next page, finding it filled with text, the handwriting identical to that of the same on the page before.

_And here it starts. I thought I had a handle on things, but I underestimated just how anxious Sakumo's proposal – and my acceptance – would make the Uchiha. They've never liked me being so close to Sakumo but since the bonds we had weren't recognised much beyond friends and teammates, they thought they'd be able to scare me off or draw me away, fools, but now, they're stepping up observation._

_The Third's not happy and he's promised to keep his eyes open and make sure no mission assignments happen without his consent; but frankly, with Danz_ _ō_ _, Yashiro [one of the Uchiha military policeman] and a few of the Uchiha-police-crested ANBU walking past the office door, I think I'm going to have to begin to double-trapping my possessions._

Kakashi paused to take in what she'd said – the Uchiha were suspicious of his parents? Why? What was it about Sakumo – and Eiko's closeness to him – that the Uchiha didn't like? It was possibly that the fact his mother was an immigrant from Iwa, and his father's parents were immigrants from Uzu, worried for the xenophobic and aggressive clan, but ultimately,  _no_  clan had a birth-right claim on Konoha.

Not even the Uchiha  _or_  even the Senju, for they had existed for long before the village's founding… and both of his parents (or grandparents) arrived in peacetime and years before the next war had broken out.  _What_  made the Uchiha that angsty? Kakashi refocused on the text as he tugged his mask down and took a sip of tea, ignoring how cold it now was, as his scanned over the next few weeks of writings, during which she went on a number of missions and found herself tailed more and more subversively.

She'd found her house had been searched more than once – she'd apparently developed an ingenious method of designing a trap which would give no signal it had been triggered, but left a recorded that it  _had_  been triggered – and therefore, that someone had been inside Eiko's apartment whom hadn't been directly invited by her. Kakashi had read about a third of the journal – right up to the point where she figured out why Sakumo was being secretive (he'd apparently been building the very house Kakashi just moved into), approximately four or five months before they got married.

He wanted to read more, but he needed to take a break and digest everything that had been written, as he rose to his feet and returned the box and diary back to their secret location – half wishing that he knew that jutsu of his mother's to protect the hidden compartment, but he settled for a one of his own seals which hadn't yet failed to temporarily paralyse its victim.

As Kakashi thought about it, he couldn't help but allow a small smile to creep to his lips – even though the Uchiha were no longer alive, she would probably be proud of her son for pissing them off so much when they had still been prolific.  _I wonder what she would think of my gifted eye…_

He dropped off his mug to the kitchen sink, wound his shins with bandages, slipped his flak jacket over his shoulders, clipped his pouches around hips and thigh (and picked up his copy of  _Tactics_ ) and he headed out of the door. It didn't take long for him to reach the perimeter of Konoha where he hopped along the rooftops until he landed a street away from Ichiraku and ambled slowly the rest of the way,

"Oh! Good morning Kakashi-san! Would you like a bowl of ramen?"

"Yes, please, Teuchi-san, a miso;" Kakashi responded as he slid into a seat, "And some hot green tea as well," He continued to pretend reading as he waited for breakfast, hoping the Green Beast wouldn't find him too swiftly.

It wasn't long after he'd finished his second, and more substantial breakfast (or "brunch" as it was) and had been dragged off on, initially a five kilometre run to 'warm-up' – of which Kakashi had managed to skip a near two miles of, thankfully; but he _was_  curious as to why Gai hadn't yet led them out of Konoha.

"Well, my eternal rival, here we are at the site of our next challenge!" Gai beamed as they stood, surprisingly, still in the centre of Konoha,

"… _Here?_ " Kakashi questioned, "An apothecary?"

"That's right! I have a delightful female acquaintance who owns and runs this shop and she sorely needs our help – her assistants, whom she usually calls upon, has been taken ill – so, like the honourable men we are, I volunteered us to help her."

"Gai..?"

"Yes?"

"How do you know the apothecary woman?"

"…Uh…"

" _There you are_ , Gai-san, I've been waiting for you."

"My apologies, Marika-san," Gai said, turning to greet her at the sound of her voice. Kakashi vaguely recognised the woman, her short, but bushy lightly brown hair and hazel eyes made her fairly unremarkable, but she was still quite easy on the eye; she gave Kakashi himself a brief look over, "This is my esteemed companion and eternal rival, Hatake Kakashi," She offered a light, but sincere smile and nod, "And this, Kakashi, is Yuyuo Marika," Kakashi held his hand up in a short wave.

"Okay, I need you two to help me gather herbs and other ingredients, today." She started, Kakashi rose an eyebrow, "Here is a list of things I need gathered and approximate quantities of each item,"

"That's all?" The Copy Nin queried, eyeing the two rolls of paper in the woman's hand,

"Yes… although there's quite a bit."

"Forgive me, Marika-san, but Gai alluded to a 'super manly challenge', is gathering ingredients that taxing?" Kakashi asked, the woman smirked lightly,

"I need almost an entire re-stock and there are some ingredients which are a little…  _obscure,_ " She handed the list over as Kakashi swiftly scanned his eye over the list, stopping at about item number ten,

"How am I supposed to obtain the 'eyelashes of a water-rat'?" He asked uncertainly as the woman laughed,

"With fast reflexes! I'll only need one or two, so don't worry about that, now get going! I don't have all day to wait!" She shooed them away before handing another copy to Gai, "You each need to gather half the ingredients, as written on your scrolls,"

Kakashi snuck a look at his rival to see the Bizarre Beast grimace slightly before his expression darted to one of determination, "Thank you both for doing this, I really appreciate you taking the time to help me." Marika looked between the two for a moment, with a small, but sweet smile on her face; not to be out-done, Kakashi gave a stern nod, just as Gai did the same before they both disappeared in blurs of movement.

* * *

Kakashi took a deep breath and tried to calm himself,  _stay calm and think logically_ , he thought, taking another careful step forward, his senses wide open to what might be trying to kill him next –  _Kami-sama,_  if Sakura saw him now, she'd commit him to the looney-bin without a second thought.

He was currently stood upside down on one of the more gigantic tree branches, inching closer to a giant, snoozing bat (item #45 on the list: a small tuft of [giant, forest-of-death] bat hair); he'd managed to track the animal to where it slept and was in the process of sneaking up on the huge creature. He really had to wonder at himself this time… was he so proud that he couldn't have just  _rejected_  the damn challenge? A sudden, loud cry of:

"Yyyyoooouuuusshhhh!" From Gai, elsewhere in the accursed forest, startled the bat and Kakashi acted before he thought; leaping forward, he grabbed onto a handful of fur from the bat and clung on, as it tried to take flight, Kakashi refused to let go;  _yes, yes I am too proud to lose._

However the bat, unbalanced by the extra weight, plummeted straight to the ground at first, whilst it shrieked and flapped its wings at the parasite trying to rip its fur out; Kakashi had the wind almost knocked out of him and slammed backwards onto the ground, suffered a nasty slap from a wing and felt the fur his hand was gripping, suddenly loosen.

He cracked his eye open to see the creature rising above him with a hilariously pale, near-white patch of skin contrasting with the surrounding dark fur, (where Kakashi's hand had been clamped) – and what was now clenched in his fist, was one tuft of giant, forest-of-death bat fur.  _Kami, what had he been reduced to?_ He pulled a small vial from his pouch and stuffed the fur into it before checking off the list – at least he had only two more items to go – if this was the state of the challenge, he did  _not_  want to face whatever hideous forfeit Gai probably had planned.

Kakashi looked at the next item, #46 – a leech.  _Ugh, of all the creatures that woman could possibly want…_ He trudged over to the nearby swamp and yanked off one of his sandals and began to unbandage the shin, he might be a fearsome shinobi, but the man did  _not_  like slimy, weird, blood-sucking parasites.

"Ha! Ahahahh! My eternal rival you have proven yourself a worthy adversary, but you have not been triumphant on this occasion!" Kakashi looked up from his knee-deep wading through murky and highly questionable water, to see Gai stood proudly before him,

"Gai? You're done  _already_?" Kakashi could barely keep the incredulousness out of his voice - their being neck-and-neck was a given... at least until he pulled ahead, of course.

"Indeed, my eternal rival! As always, you've been a formidable foe, but unable to defeat me this time!" Gai flipped open his list to show that all of the items had been crossed through; Gai laughed heartily before he dashed away, leaving Kakashi to leap out of the swamp, eyeing the numerous black, squishy blobs stuck to his skin.

Another, familiar howling shout resounded from the Green Beast as a second, loud hiss – which sounded like it originated from a disturbingly large insect – had the Copy Nin grinning slightly to himself, Gai would be busy for a little while longer in trying to escape the creature, so there was no rush. Kakashi directed his chakra to his legs and gave sudden burst, of electrically-recomposed chakra and he watched with more pleasure than he should probably have derived, as the leeches quivered and crackled with the charge before they fell limply to the ground.

_Damn bloodsuckers_ …

He thought as he picked up one of the leeches and dropped it into a small canister, before dragging out his list and crossed off the penultimate item; the last one was…  _interesting_. Kakashi, so far had been busy enough not to wonder precisely what  _questionable_  "medicinal" items she must sell or make to require such unusual items – most of which, up until now had been he could just about convince himself as being necessary at some sort of bio-molecular level, but frankly, this just seemed a little  _too_  unusual.

Unusually specific. Who in the hell, apothecary chemist or not – would want picture of his ninken and related paw-prints? Kakashi sighed heavily and began to rewind the bandages around his shins and pulled his sandals on again before leaping away, out of the forest and back towards the centre of the village. He landed on the side of the street, seeing the apothecary's door open and a shade of green reminiscent of a particular Beast's favoured spandex; he walked slowly up to the entrance way and he found Gai and Marika chatting over the counter,

"Having fun?"

"Ah! My eternal rival has returned!" Gai beamed as he turned around, a broad, bright grin on his face, a light, but amused smile graced Marika's, too, "Did you collect all of the items?"

"All but one."

"Then I guess you lose." Marika cut across, attracting Kakashi's attention,

"Yes, you must suffer the forfeit! Or perhaps enjoy it!" Kakashi raised an eyebrow, looking carefully between the two as he walked up to the counter, dropping the list in front of them both – the woman was swift to pick it up and look over it.

"Hmm, well I suppose the last item  _could_  wait; do you have all of the others?" She asked and Kakashi handed out the remaining vials, clumps of herbs, clumps of  _hair_  and various other weird slimy things,

"Well, well, the score is now 126 to 127, I've pulled ahead! And it's time for me to decide the forfeit…hmm…"

"Gai, we're both on 126," Kakashi nodded emphatically as Gai raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure? Last week's challenge, I was on 126 and you were one less, but you succeeded in defeating me,"

"…No, I was sure last week's challenge left me on 126 and you on 125," Kakashi argued and Gai clasped his chin between his fingers as he thought,

"No, no! I have the answer now! Do you remember, rival, that on the last challenge, we decided to make it a double after all, because I was two behind, so we began on 124 and 126, and I won them both, levelling us!" Gai said to a highly sceptical Kakashi,

"I thought we agreed no more double challenges after you got your-"

" _About the forfeit_ ," Marika suddenly cut across, looking irritatedly between the two men and their pointless conversation, "Gai..?" She averted her eyes to him as something evidently clicked,

"Ah, yes! That's right! My eternal rival, I have thought long and hard about our challenges and their impact on our lives! And for a long time I have thought to myself about my dearest friend and how he is alone!"

"Ah, Gai..." Kakashi tried to interrupt  _not_  liking where this was going,

"I want a date," Marika suddenly cut across, a gleam in her eyes Kakashi hadn't noticed before, as his visible one rounded,

"Wh-wait, what?"

"Just a date, you and me."

"Gai, how could you-"

"Now, now, how you wish to turn down the youthful and brave hearted offer of a beautiful woman for a lunch-date?"

"Dinner-date," Marika corrected, "Please?"

"Gai, you  _tricked_  me into a date with someone? That's… that's… so dishonourable of you! Really, I had thought that maybe I could trust my closest friend, but…" Kakashi put his most plaintive and hurt tone, hoping to tug on one of Gai's numerous heartstrings,

"No! It was no trick! Surely you do not wish to spend your days alone without experiencing…" Kakashi merely shook his head, looking more and more hurt by the second as Gai faltered, falling for Kakashi's ploy, "But... It is your forfeit! You must be the honourable man and take Marika-san out on a date!"

"Hmmm…" The Copy Nin put on his best tone of disapproval,

"Kakashi-san, it's just a date – dinner, drinks after and then…" She trailed off on what was presumably supposed to be something suggestive, but Kakashi made a point of not reading into it,

"…And we split the bill at the end,"

"What?" Both of them responded as Kakashi folded his arms over his chest and took a stern look upon his face,

"That's right. I don't pay anything for anyone."

"But Kakashi… surely," Gai faltered,

"Oh, so you're a man who knows how to respect a woman, then?" Marika asked forcing Kakashi's eye to snap open at the comment,  _that wasn't supposed to happen_.

"Yosh! Your brand of honour is as hip as ever!" It was more tempting than Kakashi thought to slap his hand to his forehead at the stupidity of the situation.

"If you don't mind, I have more herbs to mix, we'll meet outside the Shushuya at seven thirty, Kakashi-san," Marika clearly too his silence as a yes. Kakashi opened his mouth to say something to put the woman off, but she shooed them out of the door before he had a chance. Before he knew it, Kakashi suddenly had a  _date…plans for the evening…with another person…Kami-sama…why did this have to happen to him?_

"Gai," He called as said Green Beast was already trotting off down the street,

"Hmm?"

"Why did you set me up with that woman? What were you thinking?" He caught up to his friend, unable to keep the slight anger from showing on his face,

"Uh, well she and I have known each other for a while and she was curious about you. She reminded me just how alone you are and how such soul crushing loneliness is too much for any man to bear and so I though a small push in the right direction would be of help!"

"…So she tricked you?"

"Eh?"

"Haa… Gai, if I had wanted a date with someone I would simply have gone and asked them," Gai narrowed his eyes at Kakashi's comment,

"I don't believe you…"

"Well, maybe not, but did it ever occur to you that I have things to do? I just moved into a new house." Kakashi implored, the taijutsu specialist took a sly grin on his face,

"Maybe she can help," The way he wiggled those eyebrows made Kakashi hope,  _pray_  he'd never done that in an attempt to be seductive. It would have long sent any woman screaming.

"You're encouraging me to  _use_  your friend?"

"Oh! No, no, no…but it would be a good way for her to learn where everything goes, hmm?" Gai said and Kakashi, for the first time in a very long time, found himself truly speechless – he ended up opening and closing his mouth in the time it took Gai to laugh again and dart away.

_Kami-sama…I wonder how much effort it takes to sabotage a date?_

* * *

"Aw…c'mon Sakura-chan!"

"Naruto, I've got to finish this report by tomorrow lunch-time, and I'm not even half-way through."

"But we're on  _holiday_ , Sakura-chan, that means we don't  _have_  reports to finish." Naruto argued and said pink-haired medic sighed heavily in response, Naruto still didn't entirely get that a shinobi was never fully "on holiday";

"…All right, how about this, you give me another two hours to get as much done as I can here, then I'll meet you at the bar for a few drinks?" Naruto immediately cheered, apparently satisfied at the compromise,

"Whoohoo! Go Sakura-chan! But what do you want to do about dinner? I'm going to eat now, but…"

"I'll get something at the bar."

"I can bring you something from Ichiraku?"

"Uh… nah, I'll be fine, thanks, Naruto." Sakura said,

"Okay, see ya a bit later," Naruto said, she waved him off and he wandered out of her apartment and down the darkening streets, it was still early evening and he wondered if Kakashi would like to join them. Not usually, whenever he really  _was_  around and available for a drink, he generally didn't like to join them in public places like bars.

On occasion, Naruto couldn't blame him, he didn't much like them either – but Wednesdays were good, quiet days, where you'd be able to hear yourself think (or another's words) and usually, Naruto liked being able to catch up with Sakura. Especially since over the past few years, they struggled to find time to spend together with their often clashing schedules. Naruto turned another corner of the street and came across Ino and Chouji walking towards him,

"H-hey! How are you guys?"

"Eh? Naruto?" Ino looked slightly puzzled as why he'd be there but nodded in greeting nonetheless,

"What are you guys up to?"

"Chouji's off to the falconry to send a scroll to the woman he looked after in the village along the Taki border." She explained, tilting her head in Chouji's direction,

"Oh! Gonna get yourself a girlfriend then, Chouji?" Naruto offered a sly grin, which had Chouji coughing in slight embarrassment,

"Err, well, I see no harm in keeping in touch, you know, to make sure she's okay," He got an elbow in the ribs from Ino for that, but Naruto was quick to change the topic, the mention of the mission generating fresh questions,

"Oh yea, how's the interrogation going, Ino – has your dad found anything?" She pursed her lips slightly at that,

"Naruto, you know I'm not allowed to talk about anything yet, it's classified."

"Awww, not just the tiniest little hint?"

"Be patient, we'll be ready to give our report to Tsunade in a day or two," She said and he brightened a little at this,

"Really?"

"Uh huh, but you know how it is, we've got to be thorough."

He gave a definitive nod, "I know. I'm going to meet Sakura at the bar for a drink later, do you guys want to join us?"

"Sorry, I can't Naruto; I've got a report to make to Ibiki-sampai,"

"Nah, I can't either, my dad wants me to go with him on a mission in the morning,"

"Ah, oh well, see you guys around," They nodded and waved goodbye as they departed, as Naruto continued wandering, the more he thought that perhaps he  _should_  go and find Kakashi to invite him, with a small grin of assurance, he leapt up onto the roof tops and darted away.

"Hey, Kakashi! Are you there?"

"Hai, Naruto, what do you want?" Kakashi leaned on the door frame of his house with his arms folded over his chest, looking at the blonde shinobi in front of him,

"Me an' Sakura-chan are going for a drink tonight, d'you want to join us? It's been a while since we've all been around to get together."

"…You helped me move in yesterday and we had lunch together," Kakashi said flatly, Naruto dismissed it with a wave of his hand,

"That's because we were already here and you were forced into letting us help you." The slight lowering of Kakashi's eyebrow said really quite a lot; Naruto's eye suddenly caught the glint of metal in his hand, and the fact it most definitely  _wasn't_ a kunai, "Hey, what's that?"

"This?" He held out the weirdly shaped blade, "A weapon I found in my possessions I'd forgotten I owned," Naruto held out his hand and took it from the elder shinobi, eyeing it carefully as it turned it in his hands,

"I recognise this…I found one just like it in a cupboard at home."

"What? Really? Was there anything with it? Do you know where it came from?" Naruto blinked at the unexpected barrage of questions from his former sensei but shrugged in response,

"I don't think so,"

"Do you still have it?"

"Sure, I put it back after I tried it out, it was really awkward to use, well, it was use _less_  really."

"Can we go to yours? I'd really like to get a look at it,"

Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly, "Hmm, only if you come for a drink with us," Far be it for Naruto to miss an opportunity to get what he wanted,

"Naruto…"

"Come on, sensei, it would really mean a lot,"

"I can't I have a da-…I have a  _thing_ ,"

"Oh? A  _date_ , Kakashi?"

"No, I don't," In retrospect, the Copy Nin had thought, it would probably have made more sense to say he did have one and act nonchalantly about it, as Naruto would probably have just fobbed it off as another lie, but alas, " _You_  have a  _date_ , Kakashi? Ha ha hah ha! That's ridiculous! Who is she? Where is it?"

"The matching weapon?"

"Nu-uh, not until you tell me about her, where did you meet?"

"…In a strange woman's laboratory," Naruto's eyebrows pinched in slightly, as Kakashi stood up properly, "Wait here while I get my things," Kakashi swiftly disappeared as Naruto hovered in the entry way,

"Where are you going to take her? Is this your first date?" He could hear Kakashi's exasperated sigh from the other room, making him grin slightly; it wasn't long before the elder male reappeared with his pouches clipped to his belt and his flak jacket over his shoulders, before he slipped on his sandals and locked the door behind them. "Do you normally go on dates with your ninja gear?"

"Shinobi rule number three: a shinobi must be prepare for every eventuality," He stated in the most boring tone he could muster,

"…Is she really ugly?"

"Naruto!"

"Well, you don't sound very excited about the date, so isn't she attractive?"

"How is it that after all these years you  _still_  have not learned any manners, Naruto? God knows Sakura, Yamato and I haven't exactly avoided talking about it with you." Kakakshi tried again to change the subject, though something told him it wouldn't stick.

"I know, I know! I'm just curious is all."

"Well please keep it in check," It didn't take them long to return to Konoha and even less time for them to veer off in the direction of Naruto's (still shabby) apartment, Naruto wandered immediately in kicked off his sandals,

"Watch out in there! I knocked over a bookcase the other day and I haven't picked it up yet!" Kakashi sighed heavily as he looked at the mess – how could Naruto still bear to live in such chaos? Kakashi followed him through to where he was stood on a chair, rifling through the top of his wardrobe; "Uh, it should be around here, somewhere… Ah ha! Here," Naruto turned back and handed the identical blade over to Kakashi who, again, just as he took a hold of it, felt the strangest twinge of chakra, he flipped it in his hands and looked for any possibly sign or marking,

"Are you sure there are no sheets or notes or documentation with it?"

"Uh…" Naruto continued to rummage as Kakashi pulled the second, identical blade from his pouch – and as he held them close together, could see a crackle of what looked like electricity run between them… but that wasn't possible, was it? Maybe it was chakra? He immediately pulled the two blades apart before slowly returning them together. Again, he felt the slight tingle of chakra through both blades but it was nowhere near as strong as the previous bolt, but it was definitely there –  _what in the world were these blades?_

"Nah, sorry, Kakashi it was only ever that blade."

"May I keep a hold of this?" Kakashi asked and Naruto jumped off the chair and faced him, nodding slowly,

"Yea, sure, if you like…"

"Thank you."

* * *

Marika sighed as she took another sip of sake; as alluring as the Copy Nin appeared to be, and as charming as some of his mannerisms were, he was certainly not the charismatic, suave, mysterious ninja she imagined him to be. Frankly, he was a little awkward. And strange, truly strange. He'd turned up two hours late and when questioned, had looked thoroughly sheepish, claiming that he'd discovered a strange sort of metal which gave him an electric shock and he woke up some hours later to-

She'd stopped him there, and she averted them to an even more awkward (and for him, a disturbingly fast) dinner;

"So, what was the last mission you were on?" She asked, Kakashi looked up from the small cup of sake he was swirling,

"Uh, well, unfortunately, it's not really something I can talk about. But I am curious how you know Gai, if I might ask?"

"Gai? Oh, he comes in once a month to buy a teeth-bleaching kit and hair conditioner." She answered nonchalantly; Kakashi almost chocked on his spit,

"What? Really?" She nodded, "Damn, then that explains it," He shook his head slightly,

"…You know, you have very unusual hair as well, and fair hair tends to suffer the worst – investment in a decent hair conditioner will help you." Kakashi's raised a single silvery eyebrow,

"Uh, well, I've never had trouble with my hair before,"

"Problems can come on quickly. You know, as a shinobi you probably suffer from all sorts of ailments, dry skin to blisters and chafing. I make a lot of specialist medicines for shinobi," She offered with a smile on her face,

"…Chafing?" Kakashi didn't like where this conversation was going,

"Yes, that's right, Gai used to say-"

"Please! I don't want to hear about Gai. But, are you a fan of reading?"

"Reading? Well, yes, I suppose so, do you read?"

"Yes, a lot! My favourite books are the  _Icha Icha_  series! Have you read them?" She looked momentarily horrified,  _good…maybe that will tell her no man likes to hear about "chafing" at any time in their lives, especially not on a first date._

" _Icha Icha?_  You mean that  _porn_? You like that stuff?-!" He nodded, trying to keep the grin on his face,

"Why does that bother you so much? Don't you like to read porn? Oh! You prefer to watch it, right?" His struggle to hide his grin at her appalled expression, was enough to force Kakashi to bite his lip in an effort to hide his laughter; Marika began to splutter as the waitress appeared beside them and offered the bill to them, "Thank you,"

Kakashi took a look, blatantly ignoring the stare the woman opposite was giving him and offered the slip of paper to Marika; he began to fish into his pouch as the waitress walked away; "We agreed to go halves, remember?" She nodded and handed over the correct money that she owed. Kakashi was close to scaring her off for good, he just had to keep pushing a little further.

"So where to now? You said you wanted to get some drinks?" She asked,

"Right, right, let's go to the bar." They walked in a few moments of silence as Kakashi took in the sight of his date – he had to admit, she was well dressed and she did look good…but unfortunately, she just wasn't able to impress him in any way, nothing that he was particularly open to her to begin with.

It vaguely occurred to him as to why he would be so resistant to a date of all things; what reason was there? Because she was a stranger? Because the date had been, in a sense, 'forced' upon him? Yes, they were issues that turned him off, and she wasn't a shinobi: what was he supposed to say to her? Somehow, Kakashi could find no reason to unequivocally dislike her, but he in no way felt any attraction to her, not even physically. He just had to push a little harder to convince her that there was nothing in him worth pursuing…

"So how did you meet Gai, Kakashi-san?" She stepped far too close to him, looking up to catch his eye, Kakashi wanted to do something with his arm so that she couldn't latch onto it, but Marika had other ideas, slipping hers around the loop of his, created by his pocketed hand.

"Uh, well, we grew up together and fought in the…" Perhaps discussions of warfare weren't good topics of conversation at any time, "We just grew up together," She nodded in acknowledgement as they arrived outside of the bar, and Kakashi breathed a heavy but silent sigh whilst they entered, Marika spoke again.

"How about you get the first drinks and I'll find us a table? I want warm saké," Through his years as a shinobi, the Copy Nin had learned to read people and he did  _not_  like the look in that woman's eyes – did she really think that he liked her so much? Or that all she needed to do was to imply that he'd get something by the end of the evening and he'd be all over her?

Did she really think _he_  was that easy? Was  _she_? He really hated that false pretence in her eyes, the trying-to-be-something-she-wasn't – was honesty really not considered an attractive quality anymore? Kami-sama, if he had to choose between the two, he'd take drinking with Sakura and Naruto  _every_  time.

Time to step up on the drive-her-away plan of action.  _Think, think…what was she offended by last? Icha Icha? Right…But what I can say that would push her away and not report me to Tsunade?_  He looked quickly over the drinks, she wanted rice wine, but perhaps he could get away with forgetting about the "warmth";

" _What?-!_ " A sudden shout drew Kakashi's attention, it sounded really quite familiar; he subtly looked around the room as he found Sakura a few feet away slowly turning around to face him, with one eyebrow half-way up her forehead and an incredulous expression on her face, with a sniggering Naruto just behind her; "Really?"

"Really  _what_?"

"You're really on a date?" Kakashi sighed, but gave a near imperceptible nod, "With a woman?" That had his eyebrow snap into a frown,

"Sakura!" She cocked her head to the side slightly, with a playful smile on her face,

"Did you lose a bet?" She guessed the  _bullseye_ instantly and laughed at the sweat drop that formed at the side of his head, "Hahahah! Well, maybe something good will come of it," He frowned further, "Oh? You  _don't want_ something to come of it? Really?" Kakashi sighed and averted his eyes slightly, in a classic Kakashi-way of saying 'actually no I really don't want that'. Sakura grinned, "Not sure how? …Hmm, you could tell her she looks like Junko and that you hope how she looks isn't the only thing she has in common with the fictional woman," Kakashi could barely keep his own incredulous expression off his face as had to remind himself that he was holding two ceramic bottle and cups in his hands;

"Sa-Sakura…" Just as he managed to form words to the ridiculous revelation that the kuniochi might actually have  _read_ some of the late Jiraiya's masterpieces, when another woman appeared at his side, grabbing his arm,

"Kakashi-san, who is this woman?" The Copy Nin nearly grinned, he didn't realise how nice it felt to have a woman jealous over him,

"Uh, she's Haruno Sakura, my former student and occasional teammate."

" _Oh_ ," Sakura graciously bowed in polite greeting, a kindly smile on her face, obviously amused by the other woman's reaction;

"And Sakura, this is Yuu…err, Yaku-no,"

"Yuyuo Marika."

"Nice to meet you. Good luck!" Sakura greeted, Marika frowned slightly,

"Luck? Why would you say that?"

"Oh, well it's just so unusually to see Kakashi on a date-" She caught the dark look in Kakashi's eye and decide against finishing her sentence, "Well, just have a good time," She smiled again and tuned away, "See ya, Kakashi," Said Jounin scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment as Marika raised an eyebrow at him.

…

"Sakura! How could you talk to him? She might think she has competition for him!" Naruto nearly shouted as Sakura took a seat opposite him,

"Calm down, Naruto, it was fine," She offered with a dismissive wave of her hand,

"It is  _not_  fine! What if Kakashi really wants to make it work with this woman?"

"He doesn't, he only doing it because he lost a bet." Sakura dismissed,

"But he… really?" Naruto's determination faltered with the realisation,

"Uh-huh," She took a swig of her beer, grinning slightly to herself, at the hilarious image of Kakashi forced into a date, though, she had to admit, the thought of her really intruding if Kakashi was on a serious date with a woman he  _liked…_ that left Sakura with an uncomfortable knot in her stomach.

"Kakashi is on that date because Gai forced him into it?" Naruto thought for a few moments, "And he really doesn't like that woman?"

"He said he didn't," An evil grin overcame the blonde's face, "Naruto…maybe you shouldn't-" Sakura wasn't quite so sure of it now,

"He refused to tell me anything about his date! If it was so false than why didn't he just say so?"

"…Maybe because it  _isn't_  just a stupid challenge…"  _Oh Kami-sama, what a fool I am… sorry, Kakashi!_  Naruto rose to his feet and knocked back his cup of saké, Sakura reached out and grabbed his sleeve, "Naruto,  _don't go over there!_ "

"Why not?" Naruto questioned, "He won't mind, don't worry Sakura-chan!" He pulled his arm free from her grip and flounced over to his occasional Taichou – and a man he looked upon as a steadfast source of trust, authority and security, both in regard to the teams he was in and the village he served; but Naruto had to admit, perhaps inappropriately, he subconsciously thought of Kakashi as something of a teddy-bear.

Naruto had met many different shinobi over his years and the more skilled they were, the more violent and hateful they tended to be – the fourth member of Team 7 was no exception – but Kakashi was among the few shinobi who was  _not_  as twisted as he was powerful – he was by no means  _soft_ , but he was more human than many shinobi of his years' service.

(There were a few other exceptions Naruto could think of, but none he was as close to as Kakashi.)

That meant that Naruto never felt any qualms about telling Kakashi anything or asking him anything either,

"Hey, Kakashi! How's the date going?" He appeared in front of the table, where his former sensei and his 'date' sat opposite each other;

"Uh, well, okay I guess," Kakashi answered, Marika glared slightly at the blonde, but Naruto only grinned in return,

"So you wanted the date, huh?" Naruto asked her, his tone honest but it didn't do much to rescue the poor phrasing and implication,

"What?" Marika asked, 

"Why d'you like Kakashi?"

"Naruto, why are you here?" Kakashi cut in,

"Huh? Sakura-chan said you weren't enjoying yourself." 

"What?" Marika cut across, "How dare you! Just because she was jealous-!"

"Jealous? Sakura-chan? Hahahaha! Of Kakashi and you?" Naruto laughed, his excitement clearly clouding his sense,

"…Naruto, can't you  _try_  to be a bit more tactful?" Kakashi really did want this date to end, but, a certain degree of diplomacy was necessary;

"You-you…is this true?" Marika cut across, glaring at Kakashi,

"Ah, well you have to agree, that I was forced into this date."

"…So you really hate me?"

"I didn't say that." Kakashi sighed, accepting that he'd long lost control of the situation,

"But you're not having fun?" Marika said, frustration clear in her tone; Kakashi averted his eye, slightly, trying to think of an appropriate answer;

"Ah, well, I can't say that…"

She suddenly rose to her feet, looking a little upset, "Well, I'm sorry that you've had such an evening."

"Marika-san, you…" But the woman had turned and walked away from their table, pushing past Naruto, "Haa…finally, she gets the message…" Kakashi had certainly wanted the date to end, but he would have far rather done so without actually hurting her.

"Haha, why didn't you just say so in the first place?" Kakashi shot Naruto a look as he rose to his feet as well,

"A woman who tricked Gai into forcing me into a date with her needs handling with care," Kakashi grabbed his bottle of rice wine and cup, "But Naruto, you cannot barge in to someone else's date and be  _so rude!_ " Kakashi snapped at him, 

"S-sorry, Kakashi, I guess I got a bit overexcited... Come and join Sakura-chan and I." They made their way swiftly over to where Sakura was still sat, who looked shocked to see them both, Kakashi swiftly answered her silent question,

"Naruto drove her off." Kakashi explained to her as they sat down.

"Aah, I was beginning to worry I'd actually barged in on someone you  _did_ like." She said, though he dismissed her,

"Never mind that; now, Sakura, why don't you tell me when you took to reading  _Icha Icha_?" He grinned as Naruto half choked-half shouted:

" _What!-?_ "


	12. The Blood Of A Dead God

_Sasuke darted through the trees with Karin and Juugo flanking either side, and Suigetsu at the rear; Sasuke's sharingan were ablaze, for they had finally managed to track the creature to the northern ocean, west of Kaminari no kuni – Lightning Country. As finally, the tree-line fell away and the group was forced to drop down to the sandy ground of the beach before leaping over the incoming tide and dashing out over the open water. Finally, after years and years of research and tracking, they had located the whereabouts of the newly reformed three-tails – and this time, it would belong to Sasuke._

_All too soon, his sharingan began to detect a shift in the air and the fait traces of the beast's chakra – he'd have to play his cards right, here, to get what he wanted – he'd already prearranged the tactics with the team, now all he'd have to do would be to bide his time… As they drew ever closer to the creature, he gave a slight nod to Suigetsu, who grinned, and threw his sword to Karin before he melted into what seemed to be nothingness._

_The kuniochi peeled off to the side as Sasuke and Juugo ran in; Juugo's murderous impulses taking him over quickly as he swiftly gained strength enough to attract the Sanbi's attention and the two were momentarily occupied by only each other. Kicks and blows were exchanged creating great waves and torrents of water, which interfered with Sasuke's sight,_ shit,  _he needed to strike at precisely the right moment, if it was to work._

_Darting back, well out of the immediate vicinity, he began to prepare his chakra, focussing carefully on where Karin and Juugo where, both of whom were now on the back of the Sanbi and preparing another attack upon it – for just after Suigetsu struck – both shinobi were busy preparing their chakra, to act as a blanket over the top of the beast; likewise, Sasuke prepared his own chakra and jutsu for usage. As Suigetsu struck, the charka blanket acted as a solid wall, increasing the damage done on the chakra-monster; Juugo released a portion of his cursed-seal and formed the Piston Fist: Style One, which, at such close range took a serious chunk out of the animal and it flailed, momentarily stunned by the force of the blow and the pain it created. This was Sasuke's cue._

_The Uchiha leapt in, unsheathing his kusanagi no tsurugi as he landed on the back of Sanbi, his eyes could see the colour of Suigetsu's chakra still embedded in the water, telling him his third teammate was out of the way,_

_"Sasuke! I think another strike should do it," Sasuke grinned at Juugo's words, as both his oh-so-trusting teammates turned their backs to him to focus on another strike,_

_"Right you are," Sasuke charged his kusanagi with lightning chakra as he pushed off from the beast's back and darted towards the front of the animal, pulling his sword around to thrust it through his target – but instead of this being the gigantic three-tailed beast, Juugo's knees quivered slightly as great, thick globs of blood spilt from his mouth and the wound through his chest,_

_"Sa-Sasuke…" The sword had been rammed through Juugo's chest, straight through the heart,_

_"Don't worry, Juugo, it's not as bad as it looks… you're not the one I'm truly sacrificing today," As he spoke the last word, Sasuke sent a massive bold of electrically recomposed chakra through his sword, killing Juugo in an instant. Karin stumbled backwards slightly as she opened her mouth to scream, but never got there – Sasuke locked her in his genjutsu as he pulled the sword from Juugo's corpse and a scroll from his pouch._

_Swiftly flashing through the surprisingly modest set of seals for such a forbidden technique, he wiped the bloody edge of the sword across the scroll as great black lines appeared on the Sanbi circling around the still trapped Karin. From nowhere, great clumps of ash and dust began to gather around the kuniochi – the pain causing her to break from Sasuke's genjutsu and scream with the intensity of it. As soon as it had happened it was over, and Juugo was kneeled before Sasuke, who smirked at the success of his jutsu; he tugged out the talisman from his pouch and walked over to the resurrected form of his former teammate._

_"Wh-wha? Sasuke? What's going on? What just-"_

_Slotting the talisman onto Juugo's head, he stood back to admire the craftsmanship of the jutsu, as the Karin/Juugo form rose to its feet and turned only to again attack and incapacitate the Sanbi. Suigetsu appeared a moment later, out of the water and as he looked around, it didn't take him long to see what was wrong,_

_"Where's Karin?" He went immediately to assist Juugo, asking as he went, but the lack of answer, only made him shout louder, "Where is Karin?-!" He faltered, though, when Juugo looked at him with dark, cold eyes, words were momentarily lost on the usually mouthy Kiri shinobi; he looked over to see a still placid Sasuke, "What the hell did you do to him?"_

_"I killed Juugo then resurrected him," The rage on Suigetsu's face was unmistakable, as he turned on the Uchiha and attempted to leap forward, apparently hoping to kill him; but Sasuke again had his kusanagi at the ready and charged with lightning chakra, which very quickly incapacitated the water user as Sasuke set about casting a genjutsu on him._

_Now that all of his teammates where fully obedient, the final strike on the Sanbi was swift and effective as another huge pistol fist towards the creature, just as Suigetsu used his Great Water Arm technique, incapacitating the creature to where it would no longer struggle and Sasuke again set about preparing for the second jutsu – to seal the Sanbi into the Endo Tensei Juugo._

_As he'd thought it over on many occasions, he came to the conclusion that that would be the most effective way of gaining control – Juugo's curse-seal powers would help to draw out the maximum power of a jinchuuriki without all of the time-consuming training needed and the strength of Karin's inherent life force, as an Uzumaki, should show through as well – and there was no significant risk to himself, either, it was really a flawless plan._

_As he clapped his hands together for the sealing process, he focussed his chakra and began to condense and force the huge turtle-like creature into Juugo _…_ but something wasn't going right, Juugo screamed unbearably loudly as a hideous tearing sound caught the Uchiha's attention and his body seemed to fall away to dust. But the nature of the Endo Tensei had it reform again instantly and forced Juugo to become victim to the horrors of a sealing jutsu gone wrong again, and again; Sasuke's distraction by the screams and his concern for the fact the Sanbi was regaining consciousness and beginning to attack Juugo in its attempts to break free of the sealing technique, meant that his concentration on Suigetsu's genjutsu faltered and broke, bringing the Hōzuki back to himself._

_"You…you son of a bitch! What the hell have you done?-!" Suigetsu didn't waste a moment as he darted forward and struck at the Uchiha, catching him off guard and forcing him to jump away – the Sanbi appeared to pick up on this, too and turned to attack Sasuke, clipping him with one of his chakra composed fins and sending Sasuke flying backwards. Feeling some of his ribs crack under the force. Sasuke called upon the summoned Juugo, as soon as he could think straight, who had again reformed and he turned to attack the Sanbi to keep it away from the Uchiha, as Suigetsu ran forward again, creating his Strong Arm jutsu and fought with Sasuke._

_Even in his weaken state, Sasuke could still manage to hold his own against an enraged Suigetsu, and the two exchange blows and jutsus for a short while, but Sasuke was highly conscious that he had to shift the command of the summoned Juugo to keep the Sanbi away from him rather than focus solely on trying to incapacitate the Sanbi; the altering of the command talisman took serious chakra and focus…_

_But the assault from Suigetsu was too strong and Sasuke couldn't direct the correct amount of chakra at the same time he'd need to momentarily cripple Suigetsu with another lightning attack and he was left with no option but to cancel the jutsu and retreat for the time being. He then activated his mangekyou sharingan to form susano'o around him as his fitted the chakra bow with an arrow and aimed it at Suigetsu – but the once-Kiri shinobi was too swift in his ability to shift into a water-state, and, being surrounding by water allowing him to escape, Sasuke needed dry land if any of his attacks were to be used to their full potential._

_Just as Suigetsu had shifted to his molten state, the Sanbi attempted to attack, but the susano'o was too powerful for the Sanbi to pose a threat as the chakra-warrior threw a slap at the three-tails and blasted it backwards, well away from Sasuke. Turning then, to retreat, he darted away back to dry land, and hopefully, some rest. All too quickly he allowed susano'o to drop as he tried to keep up his pace, but the strain of so many high-class and chakra consuming techniques in quick succession coupled with his injuries had left him drained and his wariness of the pursuit from Suigetsu _–_  especially while still on the water  _–_  meant that he'd need to restore as much of his chakra as possible, as soon as possible._

_Some days and a number of battles with Suigetsu later, Sasuke had finally managed to kill the Mist nin, in a nasty battle that caused more destruction than what Sasuke would have imagined for the Hōzuki, the Uchiha hadn't escaped unharmed – a few more broken ribs and a broken ankle took time to mend with no medic and slowly down his pace. Although unsure of where he was going, he kept himself well hidden from anyone else whilst he thought over what had gone wrong with the sealing – why had he failed to seal the Sanbi?_

_He used the jutsu in the right way, he formed all of the seals correctly…was it to do with the host being a resurrected body? Was Juugo fundamentally incompatible? Was he certain the jutsu was right? Sasuke didn't know – he had too little information to go on… Perhaps he'd already wasted precious chakra on the Endo-Tensei?_

_He needed more research and next time, he wouldn't waste the time and energy on creating a host out of someone else, when he was perfectly willing and capable to take control of a beast… And still, there was the most powerful of the chakra-monsters which was easily controlled by the sharingan, which hadn't been controlled by Tobi, and so didn't need time to be resurrected…_

_…And he knew where he could still find that jinchuuriki, and a skilled medic who would be able to compensate for any injuries on his part. Weren't they desperate for their 'brother' back, after all?_

* * *

Sakura knew right away why Ibiki and Inoichi passed her in the hallway of the administration building, she bowed her head politely to them as they passed before she continued on away from the Jounin lounge. It had been a number of days since their return from the Waterfall border – and from what Naruto had said the evening before last, at the bar, about Ino claiming they were close to completing Sasuke's interrogation, had had her on tenterhooks for the last two days.

She didn't waver in her path, although somewhat unsure, really, of what to do until summoned; which could be anywhere from minutes to hours, depending on what and how much Tsunade wanted to hear from them first. Sakura, instead, took herself out of the building and wandered towards Ichiraku, she was sure that she wouldn't find Naruto there at this hour (as much as he loved ramen, he'd even managed to form a routine for himself, where generally, he didn't eat there until a late lunch at about half-one to two o'clock).

It now being some ten minutes or so until thirteen hundred hours, Sakura felt sure that she wouldn't run into him; although unsure of what it was, somehow, it just didn't feel right to be near Naruto and his boisterousness while there seemed to be a sort of  _artificial_  restlessness about air.

Sasuke had been gone for so long, but a vast majority of those years were known quantities: they knew what Sasuke's end result was supposed to be – Itachi – and so they knew, roughly, in which directions they were supposed to be headed. As twisted as the Uchiha was back then, there was a sort of logic she could see to it, a path to follow…but here, Sakura was at a loss and she couldn't even begin to make sense of what he might want…

After all those years of rejecting herself and Naruto's ideals and goals, and their love, it was frankly, more than disturbing for him to suddenly be  _actively looking for them_. In just the same way, that whilst it was a serious concern while he was still so far away, the distance gave its own sort of comfort – the sort of comfort alien to those on the eve of battle…which was exactly how Sakura felt now, there was a battle alright, but about what – she could only wish she knew.

…

Kakashi was stood in the nearby training ground holding the two blades out at waist height approximately a foot apart – he was, for now, merely watching them, carefully (and with a very slight suspicion). He carefully drew the blades together until the tips of the metal touched and he felt nothing more than it he were holding two kunai. He flipped one in his hand almost absently before he gripped it proper and hurled it towards a tree some tens of meters away, the blade flew straight, but it span, moving akin to a boomerang, but perhaps with a little more grace.

The tip of the weapon embedded itself into the wood with a satisfying  _thunk_ ; as Kakashi had subconsciously gripped the second blade in his other hand to prevent dropping it as a fraction of his chakra escaped into the metal and a sudden, thread like beam of slowing blue chakra shot out from the tip of the blade in his hand and darted towards the blade embedded in the tree.

But, as soon as it appeared, it disappeared again and the blade in the tree moved a fraction of an inch; hesitating for only a moment, he leapt forward over to the second blade and pulled it from the tree, seeing where there was a tiny bore-hole through the wood –  _was it his chakra that caused that?_  He wrenched the blade free and jumped a few paces backwards; again he held both of the blades about a foot apart and focused a controlled portion of his chakra to the one in his right hand and a beam appeared between the two blade tips, glowing and strong.

He widened the distance and the line of chakra followed suit, he added chakra from his left hand and the beam brightened significantly  _–_  he ceased the chakra flow from his right and the beam returned to the same brightness and thickness of when he'd emitted the chakra. He halted his chakra entirely and the beam dimmed and disappeared,  _whatever these weapons are, they're seriously cool_ …

Kakashi crouched and placed one of the blades on the ground beneath him and again activated the chakra in the blade in his hand, and again, the beam connected the two; he stepped back and the beam stretched with him, thinning ever so slightly, as Kakashi held still, trying to make sense of everything that had happened and what  _was_  happening, when the beam suddenly flickered and severed.

It wasn't easy to make sense of what was happening, why would the beam begin strong and then fade? His flow of chakra into the blade in his hand was even, but, come to think of it how would the beam be formed or connect in the first place?  _...Unless, the metal absorbs the chakra and the blades connect together when they both have sufficient stores of chakra? Would that explain the twinges I felt when I picked them both up and brought them together for the first time?_

Kakashi thought for a moment, before he bent down and picked up the second blade and began to pour his chakra into it, careful to prevent any of his chakra flowing into the second; when he was satisfied that he'd poured enough chakra into it, he threw the weapon away into a nearby tree, before he poured chakra into the second blade in his hand. Again, a strong, bright beam connected the two weapons,  _yes, the blades must store chakra in such a way that it keeps it 'active' somehow – but I've no idea what jutsu or technology would allow the stored chakra to connect with the ready supply flowing from my hand into the second blade…_

_I just don't understand the physics behind this. The closest I can liken it to is my Lightning Chain… but… that always began with by bunshin and I connect our chidori physically, initially, which connects the chain, but I can't-I can't see the initial point of contact which would allow for the two chidori – and points of chakra – to be connected._  Kakashi kept his flow of chakra even as he walked slowly towards the blade lodged in the tree, he veered off towards the right and then to the left – he could see that his charka was cutting into the bark, the score-marks were distinct and deep.

The Copy Nin swung around and encircled the tree and in a single, swift movement, he darted around it, slicing it in two; he cut his flow of chakra and grabbed the second blade before retreating out the way of the falling tree. As he stood back, he looked again at the two blades in his hands, both the same, dull metal that they had been the first time he'd picked them up; he flipped them a few times, thinking over what he'd learned, before he was alerted to the sudden presence of another approaching him;

"Kakashi-sampai, Tsunade-sama requests your presence at once!" A fully kitted ANBU appeared some feet behind him,

"Hai," He didn't turn, but guessed the ANBU bowed and again left; Kakashi slipped both blades into his pouch and turned to swiftly lock up his house before darting away to Tsunade-sama – right now, he felt no compulsion to take his time, his instincts told him well enough what this summoning was about.

…

Naruto wandered slowly back towards his apartment after his typical morning training – normally, he'd be headed to Ichiraku at this moment in time, but after the past few days and weeks, after everything to do with Sasuke and his own upheaval from having the seal weaken so, Naruto felt too restless. Kakashi moving house had set him thinking about his own apartment, and how Jiraiya had once told him that it used to be his parent's home – and that Tsunade had given him a small folded card, in which were mounted two photographs of his father and mother.

Both were relaxed and obviously taken without eithers' prior awareness or permission; the first, of his mother, was with her sat in a tree, her back to the trunk and one leg dangling over the side of the branch. She'd taken her sandals off for what looked to be a sunny day and she had a strangely incredulous expression on her face as she looked at a book in her hands (an  _Icha Icha_ novel) – almost as if someone had put it in her hands just to get a reaction out of her, so they could take a picture of it and then laugh later.

Minato's portrait, on the other hand, was apparently less of a set up for it was a simple portrait of him stood, with a coffee mug in one hand and a limp shirt in the other – seemingly ready to put on, for the only other thing he was wearing were a pair of boxers and looking exactly like he'd just crawled out of bed.

His hair was an unruly bush, his eyes were blearily and he looked thoroughly confused. Naruto had sniggered at the pictures when he'd first set eyes on them, but when he looked at the them now, it was refreshing to see them as  _people_ , as real human beings who weren't always perfect, who sometimes looked a bit silly or messy. They seemed so much more  _real_  than they had when all he had to go on was either a carving in rock or a few fleeting memories whist he tried to gain control of Kurama.

He grinned as he looked over the photographs again, before a nin appeared at his windowsill, drawing the blonde's attention;

"Naruto-kun, Tsunade-sama requests your presence," He nodded slowly, folding over the card again, unable to help the slight flash of nervousness, that if this was when they got the results of Sasuke's interrogation, that he might find out just what Sasuke wanted with them  _–_  and knowing Sasuke, it was unlikely to be anything good.

* * *

Kakashi was especially glad that he now lived somewhere so secluded, that as he thought over what Sasuke 's intentions had been – to use and murder his two former-students, that his own once student would actively seek to abuse them for his own twisted ends angered the Copy Nin beyond words, how far had Sasuke fallen now? And how stupid had he been to trust Sasuke with such a dangerous technique as the chidori that he'd ended up using so often on Naruto and Sakura?

The more Kakashi trained in an attempt to cool the resentment in him, the worse it seemed to get – his own frustration at feeling so powerless, his own irritation for thinking that Sasuke might finally have ceased to be a threat to them… what in  _Kami-sama's_  name was he thinking? Was he a god-damn idiot? He found himself  _so angry,_ more angry that he could remember being for a long time as he thrust a fist full of chidori through the bough of the tree he'd felled earlier that morning, hoping that destroying something might just help make him less livid.

He fought to control his breathing as he stood back and crouched down onto his heels, a part of him wanted to go and shout at Sasuke, to ask him what in the hell he thought he was doing, but the rationality in him knew it wouldn't get him anywhere – that Sasuke would just stare blankly back at him from behind the bars of his cell and maybe, if he was lucky, he'd get a vaguely comprehensible grunt in response.

That would only annoy Kakashi more. What on earth was he supposed to do? How had Sasuke still not learnt the value of his teammates? After everything they'd done for him, he still didn't have a second thought to betraying them, in the end? What in the hell was Sasuke's end goal in trying to become a jinchuuriki? Kakashi wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know…but what were they supposed to do with Sasuke now?

He couldn't be allowed anywhere near Naruto with even a fraction of his chakra for fear he might wrest the Kyuubi from him…he could even be allowed back into society in Konoha, could he? Even if his charka was suppressed, what would that achieve?

Kakashi sighed heavily as he wandered back towards his house, tired from training and from the stress of trying to find the right answer to such an old, but by no means less demanding, problem. He was vaguely irritated, too, that Sasuke had apparently just stumbled on the pain-tags in the forest of Fire and escaped from them, completely ignorant of everything except their existence. The Copy Nin slipped off his sandals and headed, at first, for a shower and then hoped that spending the afternoon reading his mother's journal would help to distance himself from his immediate anger with his former student as he hoped to hell that his day wouldn't get any worse.

…

"Naruto…" Sakura started, but upon quickly noticing the grim, firm line that his mouth was, decided against trying to stop him altogether, "Just…take it easy, okay?" She really hated the look in her long-time friend's eyes, everything about it was just  _wrong_ ,

"I know, Sakura, but I can't just… I gotta know what he was thinking…" He said, she offered a sad sort of smile, she wanted to talk to Sasuke too, but when she  _wasn't_ in danger of smashing his face in, (although she probably wouldn't find to many people who'd seriously object), she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder,

"…Come and find me later, we'll get a drink, all right?" She offered and he nodded and was gone, off towards the prison cells of Konoha; Sakura sighed to herself as she turned and wandered off in the vague direction of her apartment, her feelings over the entire subject thoroughly jumbled – she was angry at Sasuke, that was for sure, but she also felt a strange sort of anger at the truth of his assumption: that ultimately, because he asked for them, they came to him…and things could have been so much worse.

"Hey, angry, pink kuniochi, remember us?" She was suddenly jolted from her thoughts by an obnoxious and strangely familiar voice,

"Wha–?" As she turned, Sakura caught sight of a large mop of familiar red hair:

There was stood Sina Gerimaru, Uzumaki Wazishi, Riika and a number of other Uzu nin, flanked by some of Konoha's ANBU,

"G-Gerimaru-san? What in the world?" He grinned at her incredulous expression, "Wh-why are you here? What's going on?"

"Yamato-san suggested that we work on rebuilding Uzushiogakure by forming ties to Konoha, so here we are." The kuniochi, Rei, butted in as Wazishi smiled and nodded in agreement,

"That's right, we're here to see your Hokage… and hopefully Naruto-kun, Yamato-san and yourself as well," She had to bit her lip to prevent herself from smiling at the very obvious omission to Wazishi's 'list';

"O-Of course," She nodded to the ANBU, "I'm sure Tsunade will sent for us when you're finished with the discussion," Wazishi smiled again and nodded, apparently quite happy to be in Konoha – in fact most of the Uzu nin looked happy to be in Konoha –  _well, that was quite a turn-around!_  Sakura vaguely hoped that seeing Wazishi again would cheer up Naruto, somewhat, after the matter with Sasuke. "Welcome to Konoha," She bowed politey as she spoke, receiving a return bow from the Uzu nin,

"Thank you, I hope this will be the beginning of a long and prosperous relationship between Uzushio and Konoha."

…

At about the same time, just as Kakashi sat down in his living room for the afternoon, he felt a sudden chill run down his spine and he didn't like how long it took to fully convince himself that it was because of the recent stress, rather than anything untoward…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n – this is a fairly random point, but does anyone else find it a little weird that there seems to be no ninja with the surname "Senju" anymore? I find it difficult to believe that they could all have been wiped out (or at least, does so quietly without some massacre taking place, as with the Uchiha) and even if the name died through marriage, surely there would be at least one or two with the name Senju, right (other than just Tsunade)? Or even still, why is there no official Senju clan present in Konoha during the series? Just seems pretty bizarre to me!


	13. To Tame The Whirling Tides

"…Sasuke?" Naruto's voice was lower than its usual level and far more unsure than the Uchiha was used from the blonde idiot, but it nonetheless sliced through the silence around him. He didn't bother to reply, Naruto knew he was there; "Why? Why did you want to do it? Why did you kill your teammates?" He wanted to ask  _that?_  Well, it was simple:

"They were in the way." The bars rattled as Naruto slammed his hands into them,

"In the way? In the  _way?_  They helped you, they supported you! And you cast them aside like they never meant anything?"

"They never did."

"Then why did you have them in the first place?"

"They had skills I needed."

"You sick bastard! You never really did care about anybody but yourself, did you?" Naruto nearly threw himself off the bars, and ripped a hand through his hair – how could he have allowed it to happen? Did he really never mean anything to Sasuke? Was he really such a bad friend? "Then… what were you trying to achieve in becoming a host? What did you want? You killed Itachi, you killed Danzō, who was left?"

Although Naruto couldn't see, Sasuke smirked at that, "…Konoha… I still had Konoha to wipe out, to cleanse of its ignorance and festering selfishness." Naruto struggled to believe his ears,

"Still? It wasn't enough that you'd killed so many people before, that you wanted to destroy the village, too?"

"It was the village's fault that the Uchiha were massacred, the village is responsible for everything that happened! They deserve to be punished, too!" Sasuke answered, his anger finally bleeding into his voice. Naruto had always wanted to believe that no matter what happened, he'd be able to revive the Sasuke he'd known as a child, he'd be able to pull him back from the ultimate brink – that he'd never truly go  _too far_. But now, looking at Sasuke, sat in some dank, dark prison – after everything that had happened over the last decade, he still believed that crushing Konoha would bring him peace… that he still believed the civilians and ninja of Konoha were to blame for the twisted lessons Tobi had falsely fed him.

He'd always wanted to hope that Sasuke could one day be rescued and have the life of a Leaf breathed into him again, foolishly, probably but for the first time, Naruto was beginning to truly see the depth of Sasuke's misguidedness and the fact that, perhaps now, it truly was too late. Even if he was stripped of his chakra and made to live a civilian life, he couldn't ever adjust he'd still have the strength in his muscles which could pose just as much of a danger. Naruto sighed as he looked again at his friend,

"…What? What else do you want, dobe?" Naruto didn't respond immediately as he turned his back on his once friend, taking a step away – so often he'd wanted to take on all of Sasuke's hatred, to have one last, final battle with him that would ultimately take away the aggressive, vengeance driven part of him, but now, that seemed more impossible than ever. Naruto wanted a proper, fair fight between himself and Sasuke – one in which they'd both shown up to fight by their own choices but even if he got to fight Sasuke here and now, or even some time in the near future, it would be because Sasuke would be  _forced_  into it and that… somehow, that just doesn't seem to be enough.

"…Nothing…never mind."

* * *

Kakashi was stood outside the administration building doing his best not to draw attention to himself, although it wasn't easy hiding in such a small group of people – all of whom were shinobi; all of the Uzu nin were stood around talking with Team Kakashi and a couple of other more senior shinobi. Wazishi had just finished the first set of negotiations with Tsunade about forming an alliance between the two nations, which Naruto had somehow managed to get himself sat in on, and now, after some hours, they were all extremely hungry and tired.

Kakashi thought that he could just as well stand to go home to both eat and rest, but for the sake of appearances (and Naruto's insistence) here he was, stood among a group of nin who, at best, tolerated him; it was as irritating as it was tiresome. He watched as Naruto and Wazishi discussed what they all wanted for dinner – the blonde wonderfully arguing the case for ramen, but it was easily shot down by Wazishi's apparent love for sushi (which his mourned for in the centre of a continent) – they continued to amiably argue for a few more minutes, exasperating the entire company, and encouraging more and more nin to step in and offer suggestions designed to speed up the process… although in reality, that only slowed it down.

Thankfully, Naruto eventually managed to suggest a restaurant which wasn't ramen related but which satisfied the elder's requirements – as one or two ANBU hovered around discretely, the Uzu nin settled themselves at a large table, swiftly followed by the Konoha nin – Naruto, Sakura, Yamato and Kakashi; all respectively sat next to Wazishi, Gerimaru and Rei; Kakashi was sat quite awkwardly between two Uzu nin he recognised but hadn't spoken to before – and notably away from Wazishi. The conversation was light, but with a general acknowledgement of Naruto and Wazishi's discussion,

"So how come you've only just come to Konoha now?"

"Hmm, well it took a while for us to decide exactly what sort of treaty we wanted to create with Konoha." Wazishi replied,

"Oh?"

"Yes, we were thinking about an exchange program, after some time and trust has been earned, of course."

"Mmh! Will you form your own ninja village? Will you rebuild Uzushiogakure?" Naruto asked as Wazishi took a slow sip from his cup of rice-wine,

"I think ultimately, that will become our goal, but for now, we'll start with making allies with Konoha and begin to develop our ninja fit for away-missions."

"Ah! Of course, of course," The conversation lulled for a few moments as many of the company took the time to order food and more drink, but the level of chatter swiftly returned,

"So, Sakura do you work at the hospital in Konoha?" Gerimaru asked and she turned her head slightly towards the nin;

"No, I don't, I work more in the field; why do you ask?"

"I was wondering about how Konoha makes use of its medic-nins."

Sakura offered a light smile, "Well, we're still ninja before we're medics and we have missions to complete for the village… but other times, we go out as backup for other shinobi, depending on what sort of mission they're on." Gerimaru nodded, returning the smile lightly, lifting his cup of rice wine to his lips,

"Ah, well, I'm grateful for that when you helped sort out the health problems with my men, it was driving me crazy," He said, Sakura watched the Siina with a vaguely amused smirk for his rather inexplicable turn around in attitude towards the kuniochi – and she wasn't the only one curious. Kakashi too had his attention carefully trained upon the red-head; frankly, he was very suspicious, what was suddenly with Gerimaru?

_Why is he acting so friendly towards Sakura? Didn't he hate her before?_  Kakashi wondered as he looked at the two nin sat side-by-side, Gerimaru talking with a smile on his face, which Sakura returned as she listened to him;  _what the hell is responsible for that turn around?_  He took a lightning fast sip of tea as he frowned slightly, wondering if they were just trying to make a good impression since they weren't on home turf… but that didn't seem like Gerimaru's belligerent character  _– but then again, it's amazing the turn around some people are capable of when they want something._ He decided that he'd keep a closer eye on Gerimaru, unable to help the slight distrustfulness of the Uzu nin.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you took my advice and changed your mens' diets – iron deficiency can cause untold trouble if you leave it unchecked."

"Hai," Gerimaru returned, "It seemed that you did know what you were talking about, after all," His tone held a teasing tint, which Sakura didn't miss,

"And it makes you a big man for admitting it." There was something in Sakura's return smile that Kakashi's didn't like – he wasn't sure what it was, but it made him frown,

"Well, Sakura-san, I-" At that moment, Wazishi chose to cut in and Kakashi was glad of it,

"Gerimaru-kun, I thought that you didn't believe in fraternizing with enemy kuniochi?"

"…Uh, but, Sakura-san isn't an enemy…" Gerimaru awkwardly replied, Wazishi and Kakashi raised identical eyebrows,

"Oh? You certainly have changed your tune quickly – barely a few weeks ago, you were spluttering about allowing Sakura to so much as medically examine some of our injured." Gerimaru blushed slightly at the implication and Kakashi grinned on the inside,

"…Uh, well, we didn't know her or the others from Konoha then, for all we knew, they could have had hostile intent… I was being prudent,"

"Oh?" Sakura queried, a light, teasing smirk on her lips, "I am so glad I earned your trust, Gerimaru-kun," The blush on said Uzu nin's face deepened slightly,

"Well you can't really blame me for being suspicious, after all of the trouble we've had," He grumbled slightly, obviously unimpressed at being suddenly the butt of the joke,

"Ah, I suppose that is true…but, here we are, making strides forward, Gerimaru-kun…it's good that you're able to set aside your differences now – you'll need to carry on the legacy of this alliance, after me," Wazishi smiled again, slightly crookedly whilst he raised his cup of saké, "I hope this will begin a long and prosperous alliance between Uzushiogakure and Konohagakure," The rest of the table rose their drinks in a likewise manner and toasted the changes in attitude – and all of the promises that came with them.

…

Tsunade shook her head in slight disbelief as Wazishi and his troop walked out of the door, she almost struggled to believe it herself that Uzushio was, in effect, alive and willing to re-establish military and diplomatic relations. Wazishi, Tsunade could see, was a fairly reasonable man – he had an obstinate streak, but most good leaders did…he was certainly willing to truly try and for bonds with Konoha and Tsunade was hopeful that a long term alliance could be forged in the near future.

She worried a little more about Gerimaru and a few of the younger shinobi, who apparently still clung to their prejudices about both Fire and foreigners in general – if she and Wazishi didn't seal the deal, solidly and soon, then there was a danger that after the old man had passed, they'd pull back and ruin all the work up to that point.

Shaking her head slightly, she decided that the best thing they could do now was not appear too over-bearing and allow the Uzu nin to begin to feel more comfortable in Konoha – and the presence of Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi and Yamato was a great boon to easing their potential unwillingness. Turning her mind to the pile of mission scrolls to her left, she sighed and pulled out her emergency-cache of saké for just such late-nights as she plucked the first scroll out and flipped it open, beginning the long series.

She pulled the next scroll towards her for a quick look over almost absently, whilst she took another cheeky sip of saké, but as she flipped it open, the rice wine caught in her throat and she nearly choked,  _what in the world..?_  The incredulous smile grew on her face as she read over the contents of the scroll; which wasn't the mission it was apparently dressed up to be:

_'Hatakes Kakashi-san and Sakura-san,_

_We regret to inform you that Fuukima Isaski-san has passed away. It was Isaski-san's wish that you both were invited to attend the funeral, on the 17th of this month, at the Fire Temple._

_Abbot Naidima Yuoi'_

Tsunade wondered for a moment, at the obvious fact that Fuukima had somehow mistaken Kakashi and Sakura for a married couple; aside from the immediate amusement it provided, the Godaime thought back for a minute, to the report Kakashi had provided on the mission to clean up his father's home. He'd mentioned the appearance of the monk and the conversation that they'd had about White Fang – and Tsunade had suspected that some other things had been mentioned that the great Copy Nin had failed to include in the report.

Perhaps Isaski's mistake had been one of them? But why would Kakashi be embarrassed about such an error? It often happened on two-man missions and was, occasionally, to its benefit, as a way to explain the closeness and familiarity between two undercover ninja. But it would have served no purpose on such a mission as that one to either pretend that they were married, (or, especially, to conceal it if such a misunderstanding had occurred)… perhaps the unusually personal setting had impacted Kakashi more than Tsunade – or perhaps anyone – could have predicted and it put him on edge?

It seemed beyond bizarre to think of the Copy Nin  _on edge_  – he was one of the few people Tsunade knew, who truly excelled at keeping his cool – but now that a mistake had been made (for a  _second_ time), the Hokage was going to have some fun with it.

* * *

It was an occasion that Kakashi was glad the evening had come to an early close as he headed back towards his home not too long after night had fallen, feeling relaxed to be free of the strangely tense atmosphere within the restaurant, he readied himself for bed as he'd though over just  _how_   _much_  weirder Gerimaru had gotten. Just as they'd all departed – Wazishi insisting that he was "too old to stay out any longer" and asserted that the other Uzu nin turn in as well; Gerimaru had made a point of saying goodbye to Sakura and he smiled  _flirtatiously_ at her.

Which, apart from earning a light smack on the back of his head from Wazishi, and had Kakashi grinning on the inside, had left him feeling somewhat on edge about the whole thing. He reasoned that it was more to do with his instinctive protectiveness of his only female student… even if she wasn't still his student, it still stood to reason that he wouldn't suddenly stop caring simply because she was no longer formerly his charge.

The same went for Naruto, he would not hesitate to step in as back up for Naruto, or help him if the situation warranted it, so it was the same thing, right? Just as he'd happily step in as back up for Sakura, he'd also protect her from weirdos.

Just before climbing into bed, he looked through the metal box of his mother's again and looked through the random scraps of paper – their marriage certificate, a few random drawings, Eiko's birth certificate, Kakashi's too, as well as Eiko's and her parents' immigration papers. Interestingly, there were also a number of pages – written in a handwriting that was neither Eiko's or Sakumo's – which began to detail some aspects of the white chakra and the extent to which the writer had mastered it…Kakashi surmised that the author was most likely Umika for the detail and insight provided.

Apparently, her continued chakra manipulation and analysis meant that she had found her chakra to be naturally exceptionally flexible – as Kakashi understood it, from his own studies through his life as a shinobi, one's chakra naturally had a specific flow, pattern and "speed" of the current, and it was this specific combination which gave chakra its uniqueness and so determined one's nature type and talents.

Chakra which flowed chaotically (be it fast or slow) tended to be more difficult to control and manipulate and so those ninja (tending to be Chuunin) could grasp the basic jutsus of their nature type, and possibly one or two their second type, but could not create their own jutsus or master multiple nature types. The nin who's chakra flowed slowly, but fairly uniformly, tended to have excellent control, but struggled with most ninjutsu of all but the most basic types – since the momentum between summoning and utilising the chakra was so swiftly lost.

The logical flow of the chakra within a shinobi also had an impact on the capability of the shinobi – if the flow was logical (and so was at an even speed and smoothness) throughout the body, the chakra usage would be at peak efficiency, so to speak. Achieving a uniformly logical flow was possible through training, but it took  _a lot_  of time and concentration, years of perfecting – speeding up one's chakra flow took less time, but it was still challenging work.

The ideal, obviously, was chakra that flowed swiftly, smoothly and in a logical, uniform fashion and this was something that Umika found the white chakra to provide – of its strange qualities, one was exceptional order and smoothness of flow, which quickly overrode the host's own natural, more chaotic chakra current, which, Umika surmised, was the reason why so many of them had failed to adapt; for the change had been so radical, their cells pathways couldn't cope with the strain.

For Umika, Sakumo and Kakashi alike, their chakra was the swift moving, effective sort which allowed them to easily manipulate their chakra and the momentum carried through from summoning gave them greater versatility in jutsu usage – and explained all their ability to manipulate almost all elements individually, as well as excelling at genjutsu and some other, non-elemental jutsus.

Of course, Kakashi's own chakra had been watered down from the inclusion of Fuyu's and Eiko's chakras, which had no connection whatsoever to the white chakra – but thankfully, were both exceptional shinobi in their own rights and still possessed a swift and smooth chakra flow – although nowhere near the level of their respective partners'. Unfortunately, Umika had given no explanation to where the white chakra could have come from – she offered a halting and hesitant conjecture that perhaps Uzu had somehow obtained a sample of chakra from a tailed beast, but she couldn't provide any explanation for how or why that would be the case.

Instead, the notes continued on down what she had learned of her own chakra and some corroborated notes with what Sakumo himself had discovered, and how Fuyu's chakra had influenced her son's ability. As Kakashi read about the chakra more, a sudden thought struck him and he quickly leapt out of bed to dig through one of his old boxes, after a few minutes, he produced what he'd been looking for – his father's tantō.

He immediately unsheathed it and sent a surge of chakra through the weapon, pleased to find that, even though the blade was broken, the stump managed to glow a bright white. Moving to rummage in his weapons pouch, he pulled out the two chakra knives and poured a relatively low proportion of chakra into them; again, just like with the knives themselves, a thin beam of chakra tried to connect them and the tantō edge.

It was fleeting however, and no stable connection could be formed for all Kakashi's attempts, which he guessed to be because of the blade's fracture which had disrupt some crucial component of the blade which allowed it to channel and store chakra like the knives. He wondered why he hadn't noticed before that the tantō could store chakra, but it was probably to do with the fact that he'd never  _attempted_  to store chakra in it, only ever to channel chakra  _through_ it.

Setting the blade down again and returning to his bed, he decided to put aside the chakra notes for now, and continue on with his mother's diary, to see if anything more interesting cropped up.

…

"Hmm? Sakura-chan, you're here too?" He nodded a greeting to the kuniochi who was stood in Tsunade's office, in front of the desk as the Hokage had ducked out for a few moments,

"Hai…Tsunade-sama called me in earlier, unexpectedly, though I'm not sure if I'll be getting a mission or what."

"We were supposed to have some time off, weren't we?" Kakashi slid his hands into his pockets as he averted his eye to the ceiling whilst he seemingly considered the matter at hand; he couldn't quite help the dangerous tangent that escaped him, "I wonder how long Wazishi and his nin will be in Konoha for?"

"I'd imagine through the week, depending on how negotiations with Tsunade-sama go," She replied nonchalantly, with a shrug thrown in,

"It doesn't bother you?"

"Them being here? No, why would it?"

"No, I meant the change in attitude–"

"–Of Gerimaru? Ha! Well, the man's an idiot," She subtly eyed Kakashi's reaction,  _suspiciously cool for his probing questions_ , "…But, I see no harm in find out what he can offer,"  _There it was_ _!_  An almost imperceptible stiffening of Kakashi's back, but Sakura had long learned to read him,  _ha!_ She had to fight to control her grin of amusement. Tsunade, apparently had good timing, for before Kakashi could ask another question, she appeared in a sudden fluster,

"You're here, good, I've summoned you both because I think it's about time for the truth, don't you?"

"Tsunade-sama?" Sakura queried, obviously not quite following,

"I'm happy to leave my shinobi, mostly to their own lives – with some exceptions, of course, but I do expect to be informed of significant changes that might affect a shinobi's work or ability to carry out missions," She looked sternly between the two, her elbows resting on the desk and her chin on her clasped hands, "Such as pregnancies, close family death, physical health issues…  _marriages_ ," Both shinobi subtly raised an eyebrow at her last remark, almost making Tsunade want to snort with laughter – as truly ridiculously as what she was pretending to be the case, was, she had to admit, she really could think of more unlikely couples than these two,

"Ano… Tsunade-sama, what are you getting at?" Kakashi ventured, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck,

"Were you ever planning on telling me? Were you even aware that it wasn't  _legal_  without my knowledge and consent?" They looked even more confused with that, "Marriage! As citizens of Konoha, you have to have my approval before you can get married!" They still looked confused, briefly meeting each other's eyes, before looking back to the Hokage,

"Um, Tsunade-sama, I'm still not–" Tsunade sighed dramatically and waved her hand slightly, before picking up the scroll and holding it out,

"Oh, never mind, this came for you yesterday, you have permission to attend… and I offer my condolences, as well," Sakura took the scroll hesitantly, "Now get out of here and I expect to be informed if anything else…  _develops,_ " Both of them looked as though there weren't sure whether to be more disgusted or surprised as they swiftly bowed and exited the room, Sakura unravelling the scroll as she did so, Kakashi hovered over her shoulder.

It didn't take long for them both to realise what Tsunade was getting at – and why; Kakashi's couldn't help his eye twitching slightly as his old irritation for Isaski flared again – although it was quickly tempered by knowledge of the old man's death. Sakura on the other hand, couldn't help the immediately guffaw that escaped her, as she slapped a hand over her mouth, shaking slightly with half-supressed mirth,

"I guess he never did get the right idea, did he?" She asked, meeting Kakashi's utterly unimpressed expression which only caused a fresh wave of laughter as Sakura thought back to what Isaski had both said and asked about the Copy Ninja whilst he'd ducked out for a while that afternoon when the monk had shown up.

Sakura shook her head as she rolled the scroll back up and handed it to Kakashi, "I've never actually been to the Fire temple,  _husband_ , do you know how long it takes to get there?" Kakashi eyed her teasing smile and wondered just how to get her back, when he sensed a vaguely familiar presence making their way down the corridor, he grinned, pausing just long enough for the target to come within hearing distance,

"…Actually, I do,  _wife,_  we'll need to leave early in the afternoon tomorrow – we'll need to be at the gates at twelve," The other kuniochi stepped around the corner just at the right time as Kakashi noticed her and quickly looked back to Sakura, "Oh, well, I see you later, all right?" He lowered his voice ever so slightly in what he'd heard before referred to as his "most charming voice" as he gently swept a lock of Sakura's pink hair behind her ear in an affectionate somewhat intimate gesture (and immensely gratified by the slightly blush which formed on her cheeks) before using his free hand to tug out one of his  _Icha Icha_  novels before turning to walk away with a brief, but cheery "Hello, Ino," Before he disappeared around the corner and nearly burst out laughing at the sound of an incredulous Yamanaka:

"Forehead. What. The.  _Hell?!_ "

 


	14. A Pyre For The Past

"You're on a mission? With Kakashi?" Naruto clucked, as he watched Sakura finish tying her kunai pouch to her thigh, whilst they stood just outside the gates;

"Almost – we were invited to the funeral of the client who originally wanted the house Kakashi now lives in." She explained quickly, toning her grin down a little out of respect for the subject matter, but was suddenly enveloped in orange as Naruto squeezed her close in a hug, shouting:

"Gooooodd luuucckkk!" He pulled back and gripped both her upper arms with his hands, "We'll get ramen when you get back all right? I'll let you know how things went with Wazishi-ojii-san!" Sakura laughed slightly,

"Hai, hai!"

Kakashi chose that moment to appear beside them, "Naruto? Why are you here?" Naruto looked momentarily surprised, but his grin suddenly turned sly as he raised an eyebrow suggestively,

"What are you?  _Jealous_  that I was touching your  _wife?_ " He somehow, managed to suppress the laugh he wanted to emanate at the sight of Kakashi's one, silvery eyebrow flop into a dead straight line, telegraphing his displeasure at the joke as Naruto finally succumbed to the peals of laughter which escaped him.

"Hang on, you  _didn't_  believe that Kakashi and I were married?" Sakura queried, slightly confused, she'd expected Naruto's protective instinct to rear its head (as well as amble name-calling), but the blonde merely waved his hand in a dismissive way,

"Haha,  _nah!_  You wouldn't go for some old guy like him, and Kakashi would never put up with your bossiness!" Kakashi's shoulders noticeably slumped and a large sweat drop formed at his temple, whilst Sakura was torn been controlling her eyebrow twitch (as well as the urge to punch him) and pointing out that she was more likely to go for a slightly older, more mature man like Kakashi rather than a younger and more juvenile boy (like Naruto, if she didn't already think of him as a brother), but she held her tongue for fear of stupidly implicating herself over something which wasn't true (but something Kakashi might well tease her for).

Naruto, however, remained oblivious to the displeasure he'd just caused the two beside him as began to walk away, "Well, see ya! Have a good trip!" Sakura and Kakashi shared an awkward glance before they too turned and leapt away into the tree-line.

The Fire Temple was further away than Sakura had guessed, and they arrived not long before dawn – they were met at the gate to the shrine by two monks, who smiled kindly at them,

"Welcome, shinobi of Konoha."

"Ohayo gozaimasu," They both bowed politely, "We are here for the funeral of Fuukima Isaski-san," Kakashi spoke clearly, as they monks smiled back,

"Of course, we will take you to see the Abbot," They turned and appeared to almost glide away as their long robes fell to barely a centimetre above the floor; there was a lot of activity for the early hour, and although they were extremely quiet and controlled in their movements, both nin could almost mistake the goings-on for midday in Konoha… were it not for the darkness. The monks halted them as one disappeared only to return a few moments later, beckoning the two shinobi to enter the room,

"Abbot Naidime Yuoi will see you," Sakura and Kakashi were soon kneeled in front of the senior monk,

"I am Hatake Kakashi," He bowed as the monk nodded,

"And I am Haruno Sakura," She's said it reflexively, it was her name after all, but she and Kakashi hadn't spoken about how they were going to handle the mistake as to their relationship. The Abbot, however, smiled knowingly – worrying Sakura slightly,

"Ah, you must not be used to your new name, but it's quite all right – for such a significant and life-altering change, it must take time to fully adjust."

"Um…" Why was everyone so convinced of their marital status?

"However, you said your maiden name was Haruno? Were you the Haruno Sakura who was apprentice to the Godaime Hokage, and who is a medical ninja?"

"That is correct, Abbot."

"Then, perhaps I could request your assistance is caring for one of the monks, he had recently broken his leg which has now become infected and I fear the lack of treatment will lead to dire consequences," Sakura bowed her head slightly,

"Of course, I will be honoured to do what I can for him,"

"Thank you, now, we have prepared a room for you if you wish to rest – the funeral will not be held until sundown, we hope you will stay until tomorrow morning."

"We humbly accept,"

"Well then-"

"If I may, Abbot, I would like to see to the injured monk as soon as possible," Sakura cut across as politely as she could,

"Naoyasu-san will show you to him,"

"Thank you," The two shinobi bowed politely, and exited the small room as the two monks who met them at the gate we still waiting,

"Naoyasu-san?" Sakura ventured,

"Hai?" The elder monk, who had an unusually characterful face, responded,

"The Abbot informed me that you have an injured monk, could you show me to him?"

"Of course; Watiki-san, will you please show Hatake-san his quarters? Unless he will be accompanying you?"

"No, I'll be all right," She averted her eyes to her former-sensei who nodded in response, and held out his hand to take Sakura's pack from her, which she gratefully gave to him before turning to follow Naoyasu, "What can you tell me about his injury? How did the infection occur?"

"He fell and badly broke his leg, when we tried to set the bone – which had pierced his skin, we did not have much in the way of medical aids,"

"Hmm, how long has he displayed symptoms of the infection?"

"A week, perhaps a little longer," Sakura pursed her lips slightly, for such a long time did not bode well for the monk's chances; when she finally got to him, he was indeed a sorry state, she found the still awkwardly shaped leg bound with bandages – and a few green sprigs sticking out of the edges, telling Sakura they had tried something to stem the worst of the infection,

"What's his name?" She asked, pulling at the bandages whilst pressing a hand to his forehead to generally assess him,

"Gerimaru-san,"

"Wh-what?-!" The monk raised an eyebrow,

"Is there a problem?" Sakura shook her head slightly,

"N-no, nothing, sorry…" She tried to ignore the ridiculous coincidence and focus on healing her patient – and he wasn't in a good way, she set, initially about setting the bone correctly and healing it instantly, she then directed her chakra to the marrow to stimulate more blood production,

"Tell me, Naoyuse-san, what medicinal herbs to you have here?"

"I have a list here for you," She briefly scanned over it, nodding in places,

"Good, I'll need these items…"

* * *

Kakashi was sat on one of the many stone benches in a secluded corner of the monk's compound as he watched the early sun climb through a clear sky, he soon caught notice of the presence approaching him and turned his head to face the abbot approaching him,

"Kakashi-san, I had hoped to speak with you,"

"Abbot? What can I do for you?" The monk took a swift seat beside the nin on the stone bench,

"I knew Isaski-san well, I remember when I accepted him into our order, he spoke very highly of Sakumo-san, who was your father, I believe?"

"He was," What else was there to say? "…What had you heard?" Kakashi felt strangely compelled to ask, even though he already resented the expected answer; unbeknownst to Kakashi, the Abbot smiled lightly,

"That he was a brave and honourable man," Kakashi stiffened slightly, but paused, "Isaski-san was his pupil – for a time – and it was Sakumo-san who helped him to become a monk. Isaski-san was deep in meditation when his…  _death_  must have occurred," Kakashi couldn't quite decide if he disliked Yuoi or not, and apparently, his silence was telling. "I am aware of the village's feelings towards Sakumo up to – and beyond – his death."

The Abbot's voice was cool, but not insensitive, "I would very much like to have met Sakumo-san, but I suppose, under the circumstances, I am grateful for the opportunity to meet his son, in his stead… Tell me, what are you feelings towards your father?" Kakashi hated how  _young_  and  _immature_  he felt right then, what the hell was it about monks that put him so on edge? First Isaski, now Abbot Yuoi.

"I hold a deep respect for him,"

"You sound very detached, for being the man's progeny," Kakashi barely restrained the eye-twitch his so desperately wanted to issue, it took careful choosing of words,

"I have very few memories of my father, he died a very long time ago, when I was a child and many of my opinions are formed from fragments of memories, the words and rumours of others…"

"Hmm, that must have always put you in a difficult position, with no true opinion of him yourself – I can see why that would make you especially resistant to accepting the positive things about him, especially after having to bear the remaining resentment from the other's in the village," Kakashi really didn't want to think about that time in his past, he was no better than  _them_  after all.

He remembered bumping into one of the shinobi his father had saved, a few weeks before Sakumo's death, it took Kakashi a moment to realise that he recognised the man from a photograph included in the report his father had spent the past week trying to write.

The nin looked down at a then, just-about-six year old Kakashi, who'd been surprised in the moment and as sure as his own eyes had reflected the shock, the nin's had displayed resentment and disgust, looking at Kakashi as though he were a stray dog, 'don't you dare touch me,' had been his words, before shoving past him and throwing a punch with, admittedly no real force, but it was enough to knock the young Genin flat.

Kakashi had been confused and more than a bit hurt – it had been the first time he'd been so roughly treated by an adult where no one had defended him – throughout the past year, he'd been with Minato-sensei for much of his missions and training (as well as the very,  _very_  occasional treat of being joined by Sakumo too) so the most he'd ever gotten were dirty stares thrown when Minato wasn't looking.

It was the first real indication to Kakashi that he would be treated as if he  _was_  Sakumo – the villager's and shinobi of Konoha wouldn't bother to see the, apparently minor, distinction – he remembered thinking, very bitterly then, that he'd been so naïve and so trusting that things would work out in the end, but he'd cursed himself for thinking it, for thinking that it was just a passing storm…

Minato had noticed the change in him after that, as he began to train more and more extensively, he done everything he could to distance himself from his father – they'd barely spoken the week before his death as Kakashi had, selfishly and stupidly thought that if he so much as had a conversation with the man, then all his hard work and his resolve would be taken away.

As much as he'd tried to convince himself that his father's death had been in some way good – the man was put to rest, Kakashi could being to clean the Hatake name, but it took so many weeks before he even came to terms with the fact his father was gone, for  _good_. As much as he'd avoided Sakumo, he'd still be so conscious of the man in the house, that he was still  _nearby_  in one way or another and he hadn't realised just what a comfort that had been-

"Have you forgiven him?"

"…I shouldn't ever have  _had_  to forgive him."

"Hmm, it's not for us to decide what should and should not be, he can only find rest with your forgiveness." The Abbot spoke kindly. Kakashi suddenly found himself greeted by the image of his father when they'd met by the fireside, with that same smile he remembered from his childhood, just after Kakashi had 'died' in Pein's attack –

"I know."

…

Sakura stretched her arms over her head as she walked back towards her room – she'd managed to heal the worst of the monk's injuries, and she already given him a single dose of herbs to help with the infection, and he'd need another three doses over the course of the day.

The monks had gone to gather more herbs – Sakura had tried to join them, but they insisted that the garden was open only to them, but she was free to go and get some breakfast, they would call her when the herbs were ready for mixing. She nodded and thanked them, before wandering away back towards where she'd gone her separate route from Kakashi, but before she got far, she was called by the familiar voice of the Abbot,

"Sakura-san, how is the monk?" She walked up to where he was sat on a stone bench, next to Kakashi,

"Very well, he'd recovering nicely, the bone had been healed and it's just a matter of fighting the infection – I've already given him one dose, but more herbs are needed for further quantities,"

"I see, excellent, we are in your debt, Sakura-san," She shook her head lightly,

"Not at all," The Abbot rose to his feet,

"Thank you…perhaps both of you are hungry after your exertions? The monks have prepared a meal for you." The two nin made their way back towards the far side of the inner square to the shrine, to where meals where usually taken,

"What were you talking with the Abbot about?"

"What? Oh, he and I were just discussing the classic that is  _Icha Icha Paradise_  – about Junko's very first conquest…" Sakura raised an incredulous eyebrow, unable to keep the small, but fairly amused smile off her face,

"Who? Takeshi?" Kakashi nodded, momentarily having forgotten Sakura had flipped through the novels herself, "Ha! What did a  _monk_  have to say about her style in the bedroom, then?" She made sure to keep her voice low enough so that only Kakashi could hear, she really didn't fancy finding out just what the monks might think of her saying such suggestive things inside a shrine.

But then again, maybe they'd be forgiving for newly-weds? Sakura snorted lightly to herself as Kakashi's face betrayed how unimpressed he was with Sakura's comment – and the fact that he seemed to have lost his edge in deflecting others. But on the other hand,

"Really, Sakura, and what are  _your_  opinions of Junko's style? Something you've found interesting, yourself?" Hold on, this was dangerous territory, and the mental images of relating  _Icha Icha_  to Sakura in any way was  _not_  something he should go anywhere near for a very long time... wait, why would time be a factor? He shouldn't be going anywhere near then at all! Sakura herself made a strange, surprised noise,

"H-hey! I have-haven't-don't say weird things like that!" It was truly unusual to see Sakura so flustered these days – he never imagined he'd find it so amusing,

"Ha ha! Then be careful what you say, ne?"

"Ugh!" As they reached the mess hall, Kakashi slowed and gestured for her to enter first, which she did and walked immediately over to the counter, where a monk was serving bowls of miso soup and rice; the two shinobi took their seats at the end of one of the tables, opposite each other, but next to the others also dining.

They remained fairly quiet through breakfast and the other monks were just as silent, but, as Kakashi had often found, there was something comfortable enough about a silence with his former-student and he was content to allow on the sounds of their chopsticks on the crockery to disrupt the silence. The meal was a welcome refreshment and the Copy Ninja had to admit, a full stomach certainly alleviated some of the anxiety and lack of comfort which had been caused by the Abbot's train of conversation.

Later, once Sakura had prepared enough extra doses of medicine for the injured monk and instructed one of the others how to brew a tisane freshly at the right intervals, the monks assured her they'd be capable of taking care of their brother, and so she left him be to rest. Kakashi had shown her were their quarters were, and although they'd been given a single room to sleep in, but there were separate futons – the kuniochi had actually laughed out loud at the indirect implication for allowing a couple to sleep in the same room but in separate beds. She was pleased, however, to see a small chabudai and zabuton as somewhere to sit and relax for a few moments, which she'd probably take advantage of later.

She wandered carefully through the compound, observing the monks – some of whom were tending to a small garden, others appeared to be meditating – it was an extremely relaxing atmosphere, the subtle, calming signs of life offered the shadow of peace but somehow, it seemed just out of reach. There seemed to be something else pushing the tranquillity out so that just the tips of her fingers could seem to brush it, but not grip onto it…as always it seemed to be of late, there was something-some _one_  else who was bringing out her anxiety and clouding the epicentre of her focus – Sasuke.

_What was she supposed to_ -her footsteps were brought to a sudden and rather violent halt as she crashed into something solid but with a bit of give,

"Sakura?"  _Kakashi?_  He gripped her upper arms to keep her steady as she leaned back, he looked faintly amused but with a sort of undertone; "Its usually helpful to look where you're going," She was suddenly brought back to herself and she smirked instinctively,

"Sorry, I guess my mind was elsewhere," He raised an eyebrow as she stepped right back and he let go, the shadow of his concern still not leaving;

"Elsewhere? …Are you all right?"

"Yes, yes, I'm fine." She shook her head slightly,

"You looked worried," He stated and she narrowed her eyes slightly,

"No… I mean, did I?"

Kakashi frowned further, "Sakura…"

"Is there a problem?" The Abbot appeared from seemingly nowhere, and Kakashi was beginning to wonder if the man was omniscient,

"Uh, no, Abbot, there is not," She covered quickly not alleviating Kakashi's frown and the Abbot apparently picked up on it as he looked carefully at them both;

"I can see that there is indeed something troubling the both of you, come with me – your restlessness is disturbing the tranquillity." He turned on his heel and almost glided away as Kakashi and Sakura shared a glance but followed soon after towards a quiet, secluded room.

"Tell me, what is troubling your hearts so?" Sakura paused, breathing out sharply, but carefully,

"One of our friends, he had recently been returned to us, but… we're not sure how to cope with him. His heart has long been broken and it has caused great destruction and pain to others – so much hate has been spread by him; I do not believe that murdering him would be right, but to grant him freedom would only feel like a validation of his behaviour, irrespective of any restrictions put on him…"

"Hmm, that is indeed a difficult situation, you must know how to separate your personal feelings from making the right decision - your thoughts must be both clear and logical." Sakura allowed her eyes to fall from the monk's;

"…I can't decide whether this would be giving him a second chance or if it would be giving him the hundredth chance."

"What do you mean?"

"We've spent the better part of the last decade chasing him and trying to catch up to his madness, but it was only recently that we found him alone and in some way, broken. We managed to capture him and forcibly return him to our home."

"I see; then perhaps you will never understand his pain, if it is something he has not resolved within himself, then perhaps he cannot find the peace which will enable him to live within society," They fell silent for a short while, as the three of them took in all that had been said – later, Sakura would wonder why Kakashi had been so quiet, but at the time, she could only focus on the questions and thoughts whirling within her,

"I wonder, at times, whether the boy I knew is truly dead, or if he was dead long before I ever knew him."

"It's the hardest thing of all to watch our loved ones fall – it raises the questions within us, about our own validity as their friend – why didn't I help him? Why did he, after everything, still choose that path? Was I truly a help or did I only aid in pushing him down that way? These are all difficult and dangerous problems, and they require great introspection and self-honesty, but if you can be so truthful with yourself and answer those questions, you may well find that your own self-doubts, that are keeping you from making a decision will wane, and your path will become clear." Sakura frowned lightly, half-understanding the Abbot's words; "What is his name?"

"Uchiha Sasuke," She answered and he nodded slowly – obviously, the name was not an alien one to the monk;

"You must decide what to do with his body… we have long prayed for his soul." The Abbot replied simply and Sakura shared a brief look with Kakashi, as covered as his face was, she couldn't mistake the uncertainty and sadness; Sakura turned her attention back to the Abbot, whose face was also passive, but it was not cold – unlike so many faces she'd seen when the words "Uchiha Sasuke" were brought up.

The Abbot suddenly pulled himself to his feet, offering a light smile to the two shinobi in front of him, "We must attend Isaski-san's funeral – come, it is time, now, to mourn for another man." Kakashi and Sakura slowly rose to their feet and followed the abbot out towards a large, fairly central square within the compound, where a large pyre had been built and upon which was laid the body of Isaski.

The two nin respectfully took their places and watched as a number of prayers and chants began as well as the sprinkling of various items onto the body – although it was difficult to make out exactly what they were in the twilight. Soon, the bonfire was lit and the flames steadily grew and leapt up into the dark sky, crackling and dancing as they went, engulfing the corpse of the monk; Sakura watched, somehow hypnotised by the blinding brightness of the leaping tongues of fire, the overwhelmingly pungent scent of the searing flesh and the devastating, unforgiving heat that was being thrown out from the epicentre of the square.

The fire only grew brighter as the sun descended further, darkening the sky and allowing the contrast to become ever greater against growing flames, seemingly living off the attention, just as much as the fuel. As Sakura watched the pyre burn and burn, she couldn't help her mind drifting back to thoughts of Sasuke and how the Abbot's words of wisdom had been exactly what she needed to hear, and somehow, gave her a sense of grounding necessary, with which to face a seemingly impossible situation.

She silently thanked the Abbot for his time and wisdom, and she thanked Isaski – not only for his kind words and good company those months ago when they'd met in what was now Kakashi's house, how he had been patient and pleasant company and possessed a similar sort of wisdom that had helped Kakashi when he needed grounding of his own. She thanked Isaski, too, for bringing her to the monks' compound and enabling her to speak with the Abbot – the entire day had been a blessing in disguise. Just as the fire consumed the body in such a violent way, but to those watching closely, they would see that this flame was not one of mindless destruction but rather one of cleansing and renewal: the final act of freedom for a departing soul.

Wherever his spirit was headed now, she wished it well.

As Kakashi watched the leaping tongues of bright flame, he too prayed for Isaski's soul – and the indirect blessing that he bestowed on his father, he'd had no idea there might be anybody left in the universe who didn't despise Sakumo (at least, until a few months ago) but he'd never have imagined that the same man might have gone on to speak so highly of the White Fang.

Kakashi couldn't begin to make sense of the juxtaposition of his own reflexive hatred – born form his own pain, frustration and lack of understanding - yet, here were people who accepted and honoured Sakumo's sacrifice and Kakashi couldn't have imagined how eased he felt at the thought that yet another tendril of Sakumo's legacy had somehow survived and weathered the hatred.

…

Just as Kakashi slid closed the fusuma to their room, and took a seat on one of the zabuton, unsure which was weighing more heavily upon him – Isaski's funeral or the Abbot's and Sakura's conversation over Sasuke – there was a sudden knock at the door. The kuniochi answered, being already on her feet,

"Abbot?" He smiled kindly at her as Kakashi found his feet,

"Isaski-san asked me to pass these things on to you, Kakashi-san, after his funeral – he said that truly, they belong to you." Kakashi quirked an eyebrow in confusion as the Abbot held out a scroll to Kakashi, who eventually took it,

"Wha–?" But the monk ignored him, tipped his head, slightly, and left; Sakura slid the fusuma closed again and turned to Kakashi, who was still stood, somewhat absently, staring at the scroll; he slowly lowered himself down onto a cushion as he cautiously peeled the flap of paper to unroll it.

There was a lot of tiny writing, and as he unravelled it further, he came across some drawings, and finally – just when Kakashi thought he might start having to wonder about his sanity at the length of the mystery that had unravelled ever since he'd again stepped foot inside his father's house – a small flimsy square of paper slipped out from the folds of paper: a pain-tag.

"What…the…" Kakashi jerked his knee quickly out of the way to prevent the tag falling on him (and potentially causing more of the blinding pain that the last one had) as he stared at it in astonishment,

"Wh-why in the world would there be a pain tag  _here_? Why would Isaski-san have had it?" Sakura quickly leant up on her knees, looking over the edge of the table to the tag,

"I've no idea, can you pick it up?" She nodded and shuffled around to pluck the tag out from beneath Kakashi's leg as she examined it swiftly, but carefully,

"It's identical to the other one we found in the forest of Fire – on the way back from the Taki border," She averted her eyes back to the Copy Nin who was reading the scroll, he suddenly looked up, as though confused about something; he held out his hand as he turned back to the text,

"Pass me the tag, please."

"But won't that cause you a similar pain to the last time?"

"Perhaps," He twitched his fingers slightly in a silent gesture for her to continue, hesitantly, she obeyed and touched the tag to his fingertips but, surprisingly, nothing happened, Kakashi gave no indication that he felt any pain whatsoever, he looked at the tag and twiddled it in his fingers slightly.

"Why? Why aren't you in pain?"

"According to this scroll, the tag has to first be charged with chakra and some sort of jutsu set so that it would active on contact with – or in range of – an Uchiha, so this must just literally be a scrap of paper with writing on it…right now, at least," He unravelled more of the scroll, finding a bit more written in a different style, it wasn't like the formal, instructive manner; this was more like a note to the reader; or rather, a personal note for the author to remind himself of something;

_Eiko-san has asked me to take a hold of these things – apparently the Uchiha clan police are beginning to become more of a problem and she fears not only for her own safety, but also for Sakumo-san's, she's been working hard on the development of new jutsus and weapons, but she fears that they'll be confiscated or used against her. She'd told me that the tag, especially, must be kept secret from the Uchiha, she intended to use it as a failsafe, just in case they turned on her, she'd have somewhere to hide – she'd said she'd hidden a number of tags in Fire, in a secret location._

_I fear for hers and Sakumo's safety, they have only just moved into their house, together and whilst one fortress is easier to defend than two, they are not within the walls of Konoha, and so any attack the Uchiha make, will be easier to execute. I must admit, a part of me regrets my decision to go into meditation in a few days – a fear in my heart tells me I shall not see either of them again, I sincerely hope I am in error._

Sakura had been intently watching Kakashi as he read the scroll, his frown deepening, seemingly, with every line – she wasn't sure what to say or how to say it,

"…Kakashi?" He turned his head towards her slightly, but he didn't take his eyes off the text, "What are you reading? What's it saying?"

"I…I…" He sighed and lowered the scroll to his lap, looking more uncertain than ever, "Apparently, my…  _mother_  created the pain-tags, they were for defence against Uch…" He paused, casting a glance at the kuniochi beside him, whose eyebrows were raised in surprise,

"Your mother? Really? Then why didn't you know about them before?" He shook his head slightly,

"My mother died whilst I was very young, I don't really have any memories of her."

"I'm sorry. Those tags were strangely specific, only to you and Sasuke, how- _why_ would she have created something to attack only the Uchiha?"

"…" Kakashi wasn't certain how to answer that, "I'm not sure," He took another glance over the scroll before re-rolling it,

"And you had no idea of this before-hand?"

"None, I couldn't even begin to speculate who'd made the tags – or why." Kakashi said as Sakura cocked her head slightly, a curious expression on her face,

"Well, it would stand to reason that your mother had some grudge against the Uchiha."

"Or them some grudge against her." Kakashi muttered under his breath as Sakura raised an eyebrow,

"Oh?" He shook his head and rose to his feet as he slotted the scroll into one of the pouches on his flak jacket, "…If the tag was going to attack the Uchiha, and only the Uchiha, then the tags would have to work on something more specific than chakra alone, such as DNA – unless it was accorded to a highly specific chakra type, a  _unique_  chakra type–"

"What are you getting at?" He stepped away from her, over towards his pack,

"It would take some significantly specialist chakra to even  _create_ such tags," Kakashi raised a querying eyebrow, "And you'd been saying, a while ago, about your chakra nature? That you thought you had found evidence to suggest your chakra had the ability to manipulate the yin/yang?" He turned back to her, and locked eyes with her for a moment, before shaking his head,

"No, that's not…that was from my father's…" He sighed, momentarily wishing he hadn't said that – why did she always seem to make him slip-up and say things he didn't need to – as he could practically see the cogs turning in her mind,

"Oh? Then, why–?"

"You're too curious for your own good, Sakura-chan," He did his best to keep his tone playful as he turned his back to her, pretending to fetch something from his bag, but he really felt a little more exposed than he was used to; but, the feeling wasn't so invasive or anger-inducing as when he'd been speaking with the Abbot. And as a direct consequence, Kakashi found he couldn't help the genuine (although hidden) grin at her grumble and muttered frustration of,

"Then you shouldn't give a girl only half the story!"

…

"We thank you, Abbot, for your courtesy in allowing us to stay here and for your counsel," Both Sakura and Kakashi bowed low – lower than they had done the day before; the senior monk smile broadly and bowed back,

"I am pleased to see your hearts lightened so – I was pleased that you were able to attend Isaski-san's funeral, I am certain that his spirit was eased on its passage through death," Both nin smiled again,

"If you ever require our assistance in any way, please, do not hesitate to request us," Kakashi said and the Abbot bowed his head again,

"Thank you," Turning, the two nin swiftly leapt away from the shrine and in the direction of Konoha, as they took to the trees, it took Sakura a moment to realise that she had a smile on her face, by which time, Kakashi had noticed,

"What is it?" She paused a moment, unsure how to articulate herself, as she locked eyes with her former teacher,

"I feel like… the answer of what to do with Sasuke isn't quite so far away now. Like it's something that there might  _actually be_  an answer to, after all." She offered him an easier smile than she'd felt able to do for a long time, something he swiftly returned,

"The Abbot is a very wise man, I'm grateful we had the opportunity to speak with him." He replied, unsure what else to say.

"Me too. Me too."


	15. To Help The Sick And Heal The Injured

"And then, and then, Wazishi-ojii-san slapped Gerimaru-kun on the back of the head so hard that he fell forward and splashed his drink in the girl's face, hahah! She slapped him back then, and walked off leaving Gerimaru dateless  _again_  for the festival! Hahaha!"

Naruto was nearly doubled over at this point, a second away from falling off his stool at Ichiraku telling Sakura and Kakashi the tale of the luck-less Gerimaru, the blonde was sat between the two of them, and Sakura could help but share a vaguely exasperated look with Kakashi.  _Was that nin really using the trip to Konoha for practicing his flirting skills? If so, they apparently need a_ lot _of practice!_  Sakura also had to admit, secretly to herself of course, that she was a tiny, weeny bit affronted that the Siina had moved on so quickly, what had thrown him off?

"Eh? He's been trying to get a date for the festival?" Kakashi asked as Naruto wiped a tear from his eye,

"Mmh!"

"Wasn't he after Sakura? What changed?" Kakashi asked as said kuniochi did her best to look moderately interested,

"Oh, he heard from Ino about your 'marriage'," He used his fingers as quotation marks for emphasis, "Haha, and he looked a bit annoyed, but moved on," Sakura raised an eyebrow,

"Annoyed? Why?" Sakura asked,

Naruto shrugged, "I guess because he thought you were single."

"I  _am_  single."

"I know, but it was fun to tease him about it! He was-" He suddenly paused and apparently reassessed his words flashing his eyes over to Kakashi, much to the curiosity of the two either side of him, "…Uh, he was really crushed!"

"Naruto! You shouldn't spread weird rumours around." Sakura chided, though the boy merely shrugged as Teuchi placed a bowl of ramen in front of him and he quickly dug into his second bowl for the afternoon; she rolled her eyes slightly, "So are Wazishi and the others staying until after the festival?" Naruto shrugged again,

"Not sure, Wazishi-ojii-san and Tsunade-baa-chan say they've been making progress and I think Wazishi-ojii-san wants to go back to Uzu and begin to sort things out there, but leave Gerimaru here for a while longer."

"He trusts Gerimaru with that?" Sakura queried,

"I guess so." Naruto replied, clearly uninterested in the train of conversation; Sakura let out a sigh as she rose to her feet dropping a few notes on the counter,

"Haa, well, all things aside, I guess I'd better be off… and Naruto, if I hear anyone else make comments about my marital status, I'm going to blame  _you_ ," Naruto gulped slightly, but nodded, "See ya, Kakashi, thanks Teuchi-san," The Copy Nin also rose to his feet,

"I think I'll head off too, goodbye Naruto, Teuchi-san,"

"Thank you, Sakura-san, Kakashi-san, please come again," The ramen shop owner smiled kindly at them,

"Oh, okay, see you guys!" Naruto cheerfully offered before turning back to his ramen and they both walked away; although the silver-haired shinobi was walking beside her, she guessed he'd probably peel off soon enough and she decided, anyway, on a long stroll through some of the more secluded training grounds.

Tsunade had rolled her eyes when she and Kakashi had reported back in after returning late last night, and had asked if and when their next missions would be assigned; the Hokage had told them, in no uncertain terms, that they were still on leave (and would be for the next week or so) and the fact that she wanted them around for the duration of the Uzu nins' stay in Konoha. Sakura got the distinct impression that she and Kakashi were both equally irritated by the extended rest, but they both held their tongues.

"Hey," She began as soon as they'd turned a corner onto one of the more secluded roads leading out to the further training fields, "I was thinking about the pain tag and – apart form why Isaski-san had one – about why they were somewhere in the middle of Fire, apparently randomly placed… do you think they were placed there as a means to  _hide_ something?" She looked up to meet his gaze as he held it for a few moments, before allowing it to wander off and onto the surroundings,

"I'm not sure, the scroll didn't say anything like that, more that it was a failsafe – a place, apparently, for her to hide,"

"Huh and I guess you haven't been able to find anything on just exactly  _why_ the Uchiha would take a specific dislike to your mother?"

"N-no, not really."

"'Not really'?" Sakura queried and Kakashi paused as he averted his gaze back to the kuniochi beside him, "The only things I have found suggest that the problem was more to do with my  _father,_  his parents and history," Sakura frowned at this,

"Then why would… maybe they made attempts to get to him through her?"

"It is possible."

"Was your mother born in Konoha?"

"No, she emigrated from Iwa as a child."

"Whoa!"

Kakashi cocked his head in slight confusion, "Is that a problem?"

"No, no, it's just, knowing  _you_  I was expecting something incredibly anti-climactic like your mother was actually just a civilian, but knowledgeable in ninja weapons." Sakura said, eliciting an eye roll from Kakashi before he continued,

"Well, Iwagakure was involved in all of the shinobi world wars and, with the exception of the Fourth war, have been enemies of Konoha – to the paranoia of the Uchiha clan, an immigrant from an enemy state would have been reason enough." He said, Sakura nodded in comprehension,

"Probably enough for anyone back in that time when there was barely time to turn around before another war broke out – and with her being so close such a respected shinobi, who was such an asset to the military might of Konoha…" She looked back to silver-hair to find him staring right back – suspiciously,

"What do you know about him?" Sakura had never heard Kakashi sound even vaguely defensive, but this was right on the edge,

"Uh, not much really, I'd come across his medical file – although I didn't read it – and a various mission reports." He didn't look convinced at her explanation but the Copy Nin eventually nodded, haltingly, "I didn't purposefully go looking for anything, Tsunade-sama needed me to cross-reference a number of mission reports from the Second Shinobi World War."

"Hmm," Kakashi was quick to dismiss, "Well, you might have a point about-"

"Can't get enough of each other?" A somewhat arrogant and slightly put-out voice interrupted them as Gerimaru landed a few feet in front of them, both Kakashi and Sakura sighed heavily, easily telegraphing their irritation,

"What do you want, Gerimaru-san?" Sakura asked he turned his attention to her but gave no shy smile as he had done in the past, instead, returning his expression he'd worn when they'd first met in Uzushiogakure, one telling that he apparently had better things to do,

"So, you eloped just a few days ago, hmm, with  _him_?"

"What?"

"To the Fire temple? Hmph! And neither of you thought to  _say_ anything?"

"But!-" Sakura began though Kakashi cut across,

"Why  _should_  we have said anything?" Sliver-hair slipped his hands into his pockets, looking the picture of relaxation as Sakura herself, subconsciously shifted her weight onto one leg, thankful Kakashi reminded her of diplomacy at the right time, "…We didn't want  _anyone_  to know," Gerimaru smirked slightly,

"Yes, I suppose that an old man and his young student together would raise some eyebrows," Kakashi hadn't imagined that the implication behind Gerimaru's words would bother him so, he opened his mouth to retort, but Sakura – albeit very effectively – beat him to the punch:

"But not more than a paranoid heir and his trophy?" The surprise flashed over the Uzu nin's face, but it swiftly gave way to ire,

"I had thought that a strategic marriage would help this alliance between Uzu and Konoha – but it seems that some have been doing a little  _strategic_ marrying of their own," He was only  _just_  off a sneer towards Kakashi, who'd long learned how to handle being personally affronted, but for some reason, all of this seemed to bother him so much more;

"I am not some pawn to be used to help alleviate your paranoia – Konoha is a little more forward thinking than that, hell, even Wazishi can think in those terms, perhaps you all have such long lives just to give you enough time to grow up," Sakura's irritation was more than obvious, but it was faintly surprising that she'd finally learnt to control it enough that the smashing of nearby (generally inanimate) objects was no longer necessary…well, mostly. Gerimaru suddenly took a smug look upon his face,

"Wouldn't it happen, then that you fiery  _young_  kuniochis need to be tamed by marriage?" Sakura couldn't help herself at that comment, as she charged her fist with chakra and was suddenly in front of him, connecting her fury-driven fist into Gerimaru's chin, hurtling up and backwards, well over the tree-line until his was little more than a speck on his horizon, the kuniochi was literally growling her anger as Kakashi stepped forward, tentatively,

"Uh, Sakura..." Kakashi began prompting her to sigh heavily and drop her fist before apologising to him, "You shouldn't have done that,"

"I know! But that bastard deserved it,"

"Heh, I didn't say he didn't, but it won't help the alliance."

"Bah! I don't care! He won't be injured anyway, I made sure not to break his jaw…though I certainly would have liked to!"

"Well, let's hope its encouraged him to be a little more tactful when you meet him again but, I think you need to be calmer the next time you face him, come on, let's get rid of that tension," Sakura immediately stopped at Kakashi's words as she couldn't help her mind falling very, very inappropriately into the gutter,

"Um…" She began as Kakashi raised a mischievous eyebrow,

"I meant a spar," She could no more help the sudden blush on her cheeks than she could her instinctive retort of:

"Shut up!"

"Hahahah!"

…

Sakura dodged backwards, flipping up to avoid Kakashi's swipe with a kunai, as her foot countered, aiming for his forearm, but he too dodged at the last moment and gripped her ankle with his right hand and yanked her backwards towards him.

She was fast, though and easily twisted herself around to throw a punch at him, he managed to deflect, but it cancelled out the momentum and he was forced to let go as she dropped to the ground. Kakashi darted back and dragged out his two curved chakra blades, he immediately charged them with chakra holding both in front of his about a foot apart, allowing a thick, clear beam of chakra to connect them. Sakura looked curiously at the blades and the chakra – her silent questions obvious – but Kakashi ignored them for the moment as he cancelled the beam and charged at the kuniochi, initially using both blades as though they were typical, separate kunai.

He thought he was gaining the upper hand before Sakura caught him with a chakra-charged foot to the stomach and he was sent careening backwards, only just managing to catch himself before he fell, he cast a quick jutsu forming a Goukakkyuu no jutsu, which he followed immediately by a doton which hid him beneath the earth. He sensed Sakura's movements as he paused, waiting for the false step she was sure to make – he gripped the blade in his right hand, charged it with enough chakra to cut through the earth above him, and he flung it upwards.

It was carefully timed enough not to strike the kuniochi, but to provide a distraction so that he could slip out of the earth and prepare a secondary attack; unfortunately, Kakashi wasn't sure which, but either he mistimed or Sakura had better reflexes than he thought and she was stood two meters from where he'd leapt from the earth and made his reappearance – the kuniochi was stood with a grin on her face, holding his second chakra knife.

Suddenly, just as Sakura fully gripped the blade proper, a portion of her chakra slipped from her control and into the blade, immediately darting out from its tip and connecting to the other weapon still held by Kakashi; as rapidly as the connection had formed, it had stolen all of Kakashi's attention – instead of just being able to  _see_  the chakra thread, he could  _feel_ it.

He could feel the foreign, but strangely familiar chakra of Sakura's weave into the metal, and mingling with his own chakra residing there, spreading strange tingles through his hand and the feeling of a sudden connection, beyond touch, to the kuniochi opposite him. He found himself caught in a spell, unable to either let go of the blade or push back with his own chakra, he seemed only able to feel the way her chakra touched his, completely disregarding the physical boundaries of his body and instead was somehow touching his  _self_  – but just as soon as the spell had been cast, it was cancelled and the male was brought back to himself with a sudden jolt.

"S-sorry," Sakura almost immediately allowed the blade to hang limp in her hand, apparently fully aware of what had just happened;

"Wh…what was that?" He asked,

"Just my chakra," Sakura shrugged; if Kakashi hadn't been so rattled by the feeling, he would probably have rolled his eyes,

"Yes, but why did it feel so different? Why wasn't it like whenever you heal me?"

"Well, it's probably just because of the nature of my chakra – as a medic it had to be as flexible as possible so that when I'm healing someone, there'll be little resistance from the patient's chakra, so my chakra will naturally weave through yours instead of 'colliding' with it as another,  _non-medic's_  would do."

"…Oh…" That explained it… didn't it? Kakashi still wasn't sure – he accepted the explanation and instinctively understood the logic to it, but there was still something nagging at him; but with Sakura looking at him like that and whilst he was feeling like an open book, he decided to put it out of his mind and analyse it later; clearing his throat, he steadied himself,

"Well, let's get back to it, shall we?" Sakura hesitated for just a moment before she nodded, threw the blade back to Kakashi and stepped back into a defensive position, just as the Copy Nin did. They paused again for a split second, staring at each other before they darted to the centre and exchanged a flurry of kicks and punches, Sakura dodging around the tip of the blade aimed at her, to drive up her fist to Kakashi's chest.

He was still the elite he'd always been and dropped his right hand to grab her wrist before re-aiming his blade; but just as Kakashi thrust his chakra charged blade forward, anticipating Sakura to lean forward and completely duck the blow, she suddenly flung herself back, twisting as she went – a resounding and very nasty crunch caught them both by surprise as she buckled and cried out. Kakashi was swift enough to catch her, and immediately ceased manipulating his chakra,

"Ah…ow…"

"Sakura?" He moved both his blades back to his pouch and slipped his free hand under her knees,

"I think I twisted my back," He lifted her fully off the ground and darted away, across the open field to where his house was located on the far side – not a minute had passed and he was opening his front door, slipping his sandals off before setting Sakura down flat on his living room floor, he tugged her sandals off and dropped them by his door before fetching two glasses of water;

"What can I do to help?" He kneeled beside her as she shifted lightly to sit up, he immediately supported her as she gingerly placed each of her hands on the opposite shoulders, crossing her elbows in front of her,

"Kneel behind me and grip my elbows, you need to keep the pressure constant, but fairly gentle – pull me up and back, into your chest," The Copy Nin moved behind her, so that his knees were either side of her thighs, as asked, and gripped her elbows, slightly worried about hurting her further,

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," He gripped her elbows and pulled her tight up against him – he couldn't help but suddenly be reminded of the unexpected and startling sense of intimacy he felt when their chakras combined; shaking his head, Kakashi forced himself to focus and kept his strength as even as possible, but he still grimaced slightly as his own back bent with her pressed right up against him, the kuniochi forced herself to simply ride out the sharp pain, before it suddenly ceased with a resounding  _snap_ ,

"Ah! That's better!"

Kakashi released her elbows and set her gently back to the floor whilst he slowly retreated to give her space, but close enough to catch her, just in case, "Thanks Kakashi, I can heal the rest with chakra,"

"It's all right. I'm sorry for that in the first place, I was expecting you to dodge to the left." He said and she grinned before taking a swift swig of water, manoeuvring her hands around and under her shirt to press her glowing palms to the base of her spine,

"It was that damn jutsu of yours, it confused me." Kakashi returned her smile, although it was hidden as he shifted to a more comfortable position, sitting with his legs crossed in front of him, Sakura finally fully relaxed and took another glug of water; "What's with those knives of yours? How did you get the chakra to connect them? I've never seen anything like it!" She asked, her excitement palpable but just as Kakashi opened his mouth to respond, in precisely the same moment, a sudden presence appeared outside Kakashi's front door,

"Kakashi-san!" The Copy Nin rose to his feet and went to answer the door,

"Hmm? Can I help you?" He stared passively down at a young Chuunin, who looking more like a Genin on his first mission, rather than a fledged shinobi of Konoha,

"Um, Tsunade-sama requests the presence of you and Sakura-san... you wouldn't happen to have seen her, would you?" Kakashi milked it a little as he averted his one eye upwards for a moment, in pretend contemplativeness;

"As a matter of fact, I have, I'll collect her on my way to the Hokage-sama's office; you can go."

"No! I mean, Tsunade-sama ordered me strictly to escort you. She said something about your damnable tardiness." The nin persisted, the Copy Nin sighed internally,

"Fine, wait here for me." He slid the door closed and returned the kuniochi, "We've been summoned, apparently," Sakura nodded, draining the last of her glass and cautiously pulled herself to her feet – Kakashi near subconsciously gripped her upper arm and pulled her to her feet - spinal injuries of any sort or severity gave him, for want of a better term, the 'creeps', his concern hadn't faltered when she winced again, "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes, I eased the pain, but it still needs to heal by itself, it'll be a little sore for a few days." The kuniochi explained as she pulled her sandals on and Kakashi slid open the door, to face a fairly confused looking Chuunin, Kakashi patently ignored it as he turned to lock his front door and they all set off without word – sharing only a brief glance with Sakura who was certainly  _not_  oblivious to the tenseness of the situation.

 

"Tsunade-sama, you wanted to see us?" Kakashi began as they stepped into her office, the sannin looking up from her pile of papers,

"Yes," She dropped her pen and stared at the both of them, "What the hell were you thinking? Punching Gerimaru-san?" Sakura opened her mouth to respond, but closed it again before she made a sound, anger wasn't really a good excuse, was it? "This could really be a problem! We're trying to form an alliance with them, what on earth could have prompted you to do something so stupid?"

"Uh, if I may, Tsunade-sama,"

"What?" She turned to Kakashi,

"Well, Gerimaru sought us out actually, and he was a bit…  _disgruntled_  at the apparent rumour of Sakura and I's, um, marriage. He claimed that he should have been informed as he seemed to suggest that he had designs on, uh, marrying Sakura himself," It felt more awkward than Kakashi imagined it to be speaking, firstly as though the wedding had actually happened, and to talk about just what Gerimaru had said. Tsunade raised an eyebrow at this, apparently not having heard that version of events,

"He  _what?_ "

"That's right, Tsunade-sama, Gerimaru suggested that, well, he wanted to marry me as a means to strengthen ties between Uzu and Konoha." Tsunade's eye twitched, ever so slightly,

"Hmph! I hope you told him that we're a little more sophisticated than that."

"I did, Hokage-sama, but he wasn't impressed with that and we ended up exchanging a few insults – they were fairly tame by most standards, but insults nonetheless and in the end, I lost my temper and punched him." Sakura explained, Tsunade frowned slightly and pursed her lips in a clear display of her displeasure, but nodded,

"Well, that version of events certainly explains things, Gerimaru's version was a little less along the lines of provocation and a little more along the lines that there was probably some  _physiological_ reason for your apparently inexplicable anger." The sudden and extremely violent vein-pop on Sakura's forehead would have been enough to make even Kakashi back down – hell, even  _he_  knew that no woman liked to be belittled so by claims that their valid feelings could be explained away by just the effect of hormones; something the sannin seemed equally offended by.

The blonde gave a sigh and rubbed her fingertips over her forehead tiredly, "Well, I'll talk to him again and at least you didn't damage more than his ego anyway, there was one more reason I called you here – I've already spoken to Naruto in waiting for you; I've been giving some thought as to what to do with Sasuke." She paused momentarily as both Sakura's and Kakashi's ears pricked up.

"I am going to order the suppression of his chakra – which will, ultimately be reversible, but will render his chakra useless to him; depending on his progress over the next few weeks, he'll be allowed to live in Konoha and work primarily to improve his attitude. If he makes sufficient progress we'll allow him back into shinobi duties, this will all take a lot of time and I can't say I'm expecting a miracle turn around, but really, I can't deny him the chance either." Both former Team 7 members nodded their heads slowly in understanding,

"He's got to heal himself." Sakura spoke almost without realising it as she thought back to the monks of the Fire temple,

"I'm sorry?" The Godaime queried,

"Oh, we were talking with the Abbot about Sasuke, we didn't say anything vital, but, the monk helped clear up a few things and ultimately, Sasuke is the only one who can fix this." Tsunade narrowed her eyes slightly at her former apprentice, in careful scrutiny, still unsure what really to expect from her about the entire issue of Sasuke, a fleeting breath of silence passed between the three in the room before Tsunade nodded,

"You may well be right, Sakura, but I still need you three to be constants in his life from here on – you'll need to be careful not to become irritating characters he can't avoid, but I want you three to become, well, his friends if you can; I think steadfast comrades who are never too far away, will become invaluable over the next few months especially,"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama… were will he start off?" Kakashi ventured,

"I haven't entirely decided just yet, I'll let you know when he'll be formally released, we're still in the 'negotiation' stages at the moment; I'll keep your apprised – enjoy the festival." Tsunade waved them off as Sakura's shoulders slumped as they both trudged out of the door; the sakura viewing festival was in about two days and the kuniochi had long lost her love of the holiday. She had enjoyed it in previous years, but the way it was now not much more than an irritation from the volumes of people and noise they brought with them – it would be a long and restless night for her centrally-situated apartment.

"Something wrong?" Kakashi asked,

"I'm not looking forward the festivities,"

"Ah, I though you enjoyed the festival." Kakashi offered as they traced their way down the corridor,

"Hmm, it used to be a fun excuse to dress up and drink with Ino, but now it's just too many people and a lot of noise." Sakura replied and Kakashi grinned to himself at the thought that he would certainly enjoy a peaceful o'hanami. Sakura gave him a long look of mild irritation and envy, he shook his head stubbornly,

"Oh no! No way! You're not going to ruin my peace just because you've none!" He frowned stubbornly at her, now, near puppy-like pleading expression,

"Oh, come on Kakashi! I'll even bring some saké with me!" He merely sighed at her attempt to bargain, "Then how about as compensation for throwing my back out?"

" _I_ didn't throw your back out, you just didn't bend right!" He countered as they stepped out of the administration building and a slightly concerned looking Yamato - and it was only with the younger nin's next sentence did Kakashi pay any attention to how his reply must have sounded to someone else:

"Haha, Kakashi-sampai, just because you're married, it doesn't mean you can be rough with her," Not even the Copy Nin could fight the blush from that rejoinder,

"Uh, ah…um, Yamato…don't tell me-" Sakura, meanwhile stifled a laugh,

"You know, he has a point Kakashi." She couldn't resist the grin, "Anyway, see you later; Yamato-Taichou," She offered a polite smile to her former captain as she wandered away, Yamato nodded the acknowledgement back before turning back to his sampai and raising an eyebrow, Kakashi averted his eyes back to the ANBU,

"Please, Yamato, don't tell me you believe that ridiculous rumour." The exasperation in his voice couldn't be hidden even if he'd attempted to do so; the dark haired nin grinned,

"Of course not! I just couldn't resist." Yamato said; Kakashi grunted his response – he wasn't sure what was weirder, how easily some people accepted the rumour and just how dismissive their friends were of it,

"Hmm, well, I'll see you later, Yamato," Kakashi fished out his copy of  _Flirting With Danger_  and sidestepped the other nin, who offered a polite goodbye of his own before heading into the administration building, presumably to see the Hokage, himself.

 

As Kakashi lay in his bed that night, starting at his left hand that had been in contact with Sakura's chakra, something occurred to him; that had been the single most intimate experience he'd ever had. He'd been  _physically_  intimate with others before, but that was, at best, a slight discomfort to overcome for the sake of the activity – and it wasn't something he enjoyed, rather a uncomfortable facet.

But  _this_  was nothing even vaguely resembling that either in manner or the desired end result, but somehow, the feeling with Sakura had been one of security and ease, like he'd felt, for the first time in his life, that his sense of individuality and distance had been bridged: that his island was no longer separated by a great ocean, but rather, a temperamental tide.

..

.


	16. On A Full Moon Night Of Spring

"Um, Sakura?"

The kuniochi hmm-ed her acknowledgement as she continued to focus her chakra on Sai's arm while they both sat to the side of one of the training grounds – Naruto and Yamato were still furiously battling each other some tens of meters away. For the first time in a long time both ANBU had been in the village and with some time off, they'd both been happy to spar again with Naruto and Sakura (and get some lunch afterwards) since it had seemed like years since they were all together again – Kakashi too had been invited, well, he  _would_  have been invited if they could have found him, but since he'd decided to warp the fabric of space-time for his own purposes and hide himself in some inter-dimensional nook, they just sparred without him.

Sai was still as versatile and immensely strong as he'd always been, but Sakura had fun in attempts to outwit him and they fought with tactics as much as they did with their fists or with their ninjutsu – she'd not often had more fun sparring with someone, where she didn't feel under pressure (or at least, in the destructive sense, but rather, the a relaxed but challenging manner).

Normally, she could spar like this with Kakashi (although very,  _very_ occasionally, some semblance of their previous relationship as teacher and student would rear its head and she'd feel somehow unbalanced) but, recently, that round a couple of days previously had thrown her for a loop. She'd never used a chakra weapon before and so had never trained herself in the flow of chakra to her hands, usually the minute chakra that escaped helped her get a solid grip on the kunai or shuriken in the heat of battle – but when hers had escaped and connected with Kakashi's it was…well, like nothing she'd ever felt before.

As a medic, her chakra was inherently superbly flexible and trained to cause the least resistance possible when her chakra had to enter the system of a patient in order to heal them, but even under that umbrella there were scales – some patients themselves had fluidic and flexible chakra which made her work easy. Others, however, had solid, obstinate chakra which didn't respond well to the techniques of medics – normally, this sort of thing happened because of either especially old Genin and poorly skilled Chuunin, who had a weak grasp on their chakra for anything other than basic jutsus they knew well.

But the thing with her chakra connecting to Kakashi's seemed, somehow, like more than just her chakra sneaking past his own – it was almost like there were specific gaps for her chakra to slot into his, as though she'd felt no resistance because there had been no resistance to her chakra… Sakura wasn't sure if she was making it out to be more than she thought – that because she hadn't been concentrating on performing a healing jutsu, she noticed something she hadn't before? But then again, Kakashi had been caught by it too – she could see it in his posture and the fact she hadn't felt his chakra move against hers. It was truly a bizarre – and unsettlingly intimate – experience and it had her slightly tentative to heal Sai's wound, at first.

Just as the last of the gash closed and sealed, her chakra waned and she allowed her hands to drop down from his upper arm as she dragged the back of her hand across her forehead; the exertion from the spar, then healing Sai combined with the abnormally high temperature of the past day had Sakura sweating more than she was used to. Sai flexed his arm gently, testing out the re-kitted flesh,

"Thank you, Sakura," He'd long since learned the baseline level of manners, "And I wanted to ask you something," She sat back, with her legs stretched out in front of her, leaning on her elbows,

"Go on,"

"Well, it's about Sasuke – now that Tsunade-sama has decided to allow him to remain in Konoha, will I permanently now be reassigned from teaming with you?" Sakura couldn't quite help her eyebrows from being tugged upwards by the surprise,

"W-what? Why would you think that?"

"Since the fourth and final member of your team has been brought back, surely now I am a redundant party?" Sai's face was just as passive as it had always been – although it held a strangely innocent, questioning air; the kuniochi found herself sighing lightly in remorse for the position Sai mistakenly thought he was in,

"No, Sai, that won't be the case, unless of course, you  _want_  to leave for some reason. It's true that Sasuke is being given another chance to make a life for himself in Konoha, and I'm not even sure yet whether Tsunade will allow him to become a shinobi again and carry out missions for the village and even if she does, it won't be for a long time…"

"If he does re-join, what will happen to me then?" She offered a small grin to a still confused Sai,

"Whether you like it or not, you're a part of our team and you always will be – whatever happens with Sasuke, or even Naruto, Kakashi, Yamato and I, you will always be a part of the team, all right? The fact Sasuke's back has absolutely nothing to do with it." She reassured and Sai cocked his head to the other side, averting his eyes momentarily, as if in thought, before he looked back to the kuniochi and smiled,

"Thank you…I guess this means I have the opportunity to make another, ah,  _friend_ , right?"

"Haha!" She somehow couldn't help but laugh at the mental image of Sai and Sasuke spending any time together in even a vaguely social setting,  _haha, it'd be like phase 1 and phase 2 of surliness!_ "Well, possibly, but I wouldn't hold your breath," The shinobi's eyebrows pinched together in confusion,

"What possible purpose could holding my breath serve, under the circumstances?" Sai asked with total honesty and at that, great peals of laughter escaped Sakura, as she threw her head back, revelling in the moments of joyous amusement Sai's clanger had brought her;

"Hey guys! Who won your spar?" Naruto cut across as he jogged up to them, followed more slowly by Yamato, "Phew, I'm knackered," He flopped to the ground, on his back, beside the kuniochi, panting lightly;

"We drew…" She answered, looking up to the leader shinobi, who too dropped to a crouch, "Any injuries, Yamato-taichou?"

He offered a light-hearted grin and replied, "I'm fine, thanks, Sakura."

"Ah, why is it so hot? Stupid weather!" Naruto grumbled aloud as he sat up, "Hey, hey, why don't we go and get ice-cream?"

"Yea, that actually sounds like a good idea," Sakura replied finding her feet as Naruto's eyebrows flopped into a frown,

"I'm  _full_  of good ideas! Stop making it sound like I'm an idiot!"

"But you  _are_  an idiot, dickless, however, as luck would have it, innate intelligence is not a factor in our friendship with you," Sai passively explained, making Naruto almost growl in irritation as he prepared to pounce on the other nin, but Sakura, deflected it, too overheated to be bothered to even  _watch_  Naruto and Sai fight,

"Oh come on, let's just get out of here," She looped her arm around the blonde's neck, gripped her wrist and dragging him away a few steps as he tried to twist in her grip,

"H-hey, Sakura-chan…"

Their tempers had cooled long before they had, and by the time they were back within the streets of Konoha, their attentions being drawn by the decorations being hung and the general atmosphere of the civilians (and one or two shinobi) who were excited for the upcoming festivities. Sakura had to admit, there was something special in seeing Konoha dressed up, it was almost as though the villagers were literally  _making Konoha a part_ of the festivities, rather than it just happening to be where they celebrated, that it was nothing of importance.

Somehow, that made the celebration something so much more – that by not doing so, it was like they were putting on a party in someone's house and not inviting the host to partake. In some respects, Sakura had realised that going back into the centre of the village had been a bad idea; the whole thing had reminded her that Kakashi had allowed her to escape to his house that evening, and after their spar, she was a touch apprehensive… but that was silly, wasn't it?

It wasn't really as if anything had  _changed_ , it was just a weird training incident – in fact it was a wonder it hadn't happened sooner (or  _with_  anyone, before), in a spar, two chakras were constantly being pitted against each other – it must have just been because of the tools he was using… yeah, she was just caught off guard, over something so  _minor_ , no less – she shouldn't think of it as having been intimate with the man, although not in the traditional sense the phrase implied, but rather, just an unusual slip of the chakra which, whilst awkward, was no cause for alarm. Before she realised it, Sakura had apparently nodded to herself and Naruto's ebullient voice brought her back to the present,

"See! Sakura-chan agrees!"  _Crap,what the hell..?_

"Dickless, I didn't think she was even listening," Sakura rolled her eyes and turned to the two boys – and upon realising where they were stood, their discussion was immediately clear – although Naruto proceeded to explain anyway,

"I'm hungry – and Ichiraku is the best thing for an empty stomach!" He explained proudly, jutting his chin slightly,

"But I thought you wanted to get ice-cream."

"I do but _after_ lunch!"

* * *

Kakashi looked carefully over the names engraved on the stone, which made up part of the wall of the shrine, looking for any that might be familiar to him – in this old part of the village, was the original sanctuary which had lasted since before the Shodai founded Konoha, and the monks had taken to carving the names of the shinobi who fell in the defence of the village. All of the names engraved here were up to approximately the beginning of the Third War – that was when the KIA stone in the third training ground had been erected.

He'd already looked for their names on the KIA stone earlier and found none that matched the newly discovered ones – the name of his mother (he shamefully acknowledged that he'd  _never_  known it) together with those of his paternal and maternal grandparents – he scanned over the next column of names, drawing down from the top, his eye dashing down over the perfectly chiselled kanji – and, on occasion, hiragana – characters which adorned the great slabs on the side of the temple.

For Kakashi, all things religious had never, truly, played much of a part in his life (although he could recall a few, fleeting memories of prayer whispered in both horror and desperation early in his childhood), but his recent encounters with monks – Isaski and then the Abbot – had left its impression on him and he found himself acting with more reverence as he approached the ancient building, than he might have done under other circumstances. He halted abruptly as he came across a familiar name, shifting back upwards slightly, from the overshoot, he traced the name:

_Urushima Izuru_

He recognised it from the scroll left by his mother and of her family name – his grandfather, indeed, it seemed; he hadn't expected finding the name to impact him so – perhaps this was the  _proof_  that such a man existed, and that he was considered a shinobi of Konoha. Kakashi paused for a few moments, his eye tracing the perfectly carved hiragana characters for a few moments before he continued on with his searching, all too swiftly finding the names of Sakumo's parents – first Fuyu and then Umika, not too many names afterwards… all of whom must have perished during, or shortly after, the Second Shinobi War, he supposed. 

He couldn't help but wonder how Umika had died – had Konoha been fully aware of her white chakra? Had she fought alongside the other Leaf nin as an asset and a comrade? He still had questions over the acceptance Fuyu and Umika might have had in coming to Konoha, but, it would seem that he would never find the answers he craved. Drawing to the very end of the list of names – the only one he hadn't found was Eiko's mother – but perhaps, like her daughter, she had died of illness? Or some other reason outside of a mission? He sighed lightly as his gaze fell past the last name and down onto the engawa [raised wooden decking surrounding a house/building].

He rose back to his feet and, after pausing for a few moments, wandered slowly away, allowing his hands to slide into his pockets as he thought over the last of the diary he'd read that morning – it had explained a few extra things, most notably, why he'd never seen his mother's name on the KIA stone, or on the side of the shrine, the later entries of his mother's had also been telling of just how nasty things with Uchiha had become at the end:-

_I finally returned from my first long-haul mission since I've had Kakashi, yesterday – I'm delighted to see them both again, and they to me, I think. I hadn't slept so peacefully in the near six months I'd been away – I'm ashamed to say that I'd almost forgotten how cute Kakashi is (his hair's even grown longer and he's gown so tall I almost can't believe it) and how warm Sakumo's arms are. As soon as I'd gotten home, it felt like I'd never been away – except for the fact Kakashi's already been accepted into the academy – poor boy's barely four but even so, I'm proud of him: he's a hard worker, intelligent and strong – and couldn't be any more like Sakumo if he tried! Though he seemed to have more my temperament, reserved and more the observer, rather than Sakumo's proud (and on the rare occasion) pompous assertiveness – though, woe betide me if Sakumo ever read this! Haha…_

_._

_Kami, not even back for full two days before the Uchiha have come to cause trouble – on my way back from the de-brief with the Sandaime, I spotted one the police-encrusted Uchiha eyeing me warily. Sakumo had said there'd been a bit of trouble whilst I've been away, a few too many questions here, the feeling of a few too many eyes on them there; Sakumo said he'd heard them discussing something about an encounter some strange energy barrier that disabled the Uchiha in the forest of fire (a little_ too _conspicuously to be a simple case of mistaken eves-dropping)– but they couldn't decipher it or find what caused it…they're growing ever more suspicious – be it rightly or wrongly, I have a horrible feeling – both about the eyes that seem to permanently be on me and about Kakashi – his apparent genius appears to be also raising more than a few eyebrows. I must be vigilant._

_.  
_

_Three Uchiha policemen turned up today – they waited until Sakumo left again on a mission, and thankfully, until when Kakashi was at the academy – they seem to think that because they've seen me in the vicinity of this 'field' which apparently disables any Uchiha which stepped into it, that I must know something about it, or better yet, be responsible for it. They don't seem to think the fact that I have no way to know where it is or what it is – for the fact it had no effect upon me, is irrelevant; but they refused to take no for an answer – or leave until I confessed, the assholes – we got into a fight and damn, I'd never been more pleased at all the hiding places Sakumo created in this house for weapons and booby-traps – they gave me enough of an edge to avoid the first strike. I'd thought I'd gain enough to get rid of them – for today, at least, but apparently they weren't playing fair and one of their blades nicked me – they seemed quick to give up after that._

_.  
_

_I was suspicious, about why they left so easily, but it's taken me this long to connect the dots… Kami my arm hurts, the must have used a poison, the gash is inflamed and has turned he surrounding tissue a nasty red with purplish dots; I've completely lost my appetite and breathings gotten more and more difficult – I tried to get in to see a medic, but every Uchiha in existence seems to be out in force in the village and a direct accusation, however subtle, against the clan won't get me anywhere. I've no idea when Sakumo will be back, but I hope it's before this damn thing claims my life, I don't want Kakashi to deal with that - especially with my father already gone and my mother out on a long-term mission…_

Here, the handwriting and style changed to resemble Sakumo's, it confused the Copy Nin at first, but the reason for it quickly became clear;

_Although this is Eiko's journal and isn't something I should be looking through, I feel its owed to explain the last few days – especially since she cannot write it herself. I returned from my mission three days ago, horrified to find Eiko in such a state – the poison the Uchiha used has her on her last legs, my instincts turned out to be right, unfortunately, I'm glad I didn't take an extra day in returning. I have no idea what the hell they got her with, but even the damn medic found nothing in her system… maybe she's been bribed by the Uchiha? It wouldn't surprise me, but all I'm left with now is to say goodbye to my wife. Damn, I seriously underestimated the Uchiha – ever since my mother's and Father's involvement in the Second War they've not let up for a moment – even so, to think they'd have gone so far as to kill her…Kami, those Uchiha are in for a big surprise one day if they think they can indiscriminately kill allied shinobi for mere suspicions, they had no proof! None! Not even close…_

_I always knew the chances of our marriage being cut short would be high – both being shinobi in great demand – but I really thought we'd get longer than this and never would I have imagined I'd lose to her poisoning, by a supposed ally, no less!…Kami I was so_ angry _at first! …I wanted to go and speak with the Third – or maybe kill that bastard clan but I dared not leave her, not while she was so sick – Kakashi had spent the day training with Nara Shikayo and his teenage son, Shikaku – the elder Nara always did have a lot of patience for training the younger shinobi. I fetched him back barely an hour before she passed – I'm not really sure how much he truly understands, but, alas for his path as a shinobi, the sooner he understands death, the better. But what crueller lesson is there for a child to lose his mother?_

_I must admit, I fear for my ability to care for him in Eiko's stead – how could I possibly replace her? I fear how this will harm him further, children are cruel and any who are different from them, they tend to pick on. His first days at the academy haven't been the easiest, I hope the loss won't attack him from both home and school…_

_.  
_

_So here it ends – I had always feared her death, but perhaps I am supposed to be grateful that I was allowed to be by her side – that she died in the warmth of her husband and son rather than alone and far from home… still, I find far less comfort in that fact than I should._

It was there that the journal appeared to end and Kakashi was left to wonder – at first – at the unanswered questions of just  _exactly_  why the Uchiha has seen Eiko as such a threat…what key bit of information was he still missing about this great puzzle? Or rather – just how may more pieces were there? Even now he still couldn't be sure, although he certainly knew far more than even just a week previous. The journal entries had also spurred him to try and remember those days – he felt as though his fingertips were just brushing the edges of some of them – a sad look on his father's face; a pale, white room, a strange sense that something wasn't right…but there wasn't much else he could remember. The earliest memories he had were of a man with long white hair and a sadness that nothing could lift, an emptiness that seemed so unrelenting, so crushing, he wanted nothing more than to run as far from it as he could.

As he'd flipped over the final blank pages in the book – a force of habit to make sure he hadn't missed anything, he came across a final few sentences and, perhaps most surprisingly a note from his father addressed to him;

_Kakashi-kun – This diary, as well as a few other things, will fall to you one day, though hopefully not via any Uchiha hands; I'm confident I've hidden everything well, but you never can be too careful. I've spoken to Minato and he's agreed to take you on after the academy for a few years until your age-mates catch up and you can be assigned to an appropriate team. He's a good man and an excellent shinobi, I can trust him to take care of you in my absence and to see that you're trained – to that end, I've also given him one of your mother's chakra knives to keep hold of (which he's promised to keep safe and pass onto you when the time is right) – they appear as nothing more than strangely shaped kunai when they're separated, so they shouldn't be visible to curious sharingan. I always hoped to be around to explain things to you myself, but I haven't even so much as_ looked _at these things for nearly two years…even if I'd been able to, you were still too young to understand it._

_The knives, Kakashi, were – among other things – a feat of your mother's engineering, they're specially suited to our white chakra (as well as her own), my father helped her to create them and, since he was the creator of the Hatake tantō, he was able forge the metal not only to her specifications, but also to channel the chakra running through them to the same frequency – as well as, impressively allowing the chakra to be stored in the blades for a time, so that all three blades could work in tandem… we ended up creating some impressive jutsus from the formation. It's a shame we won't be able to teach them to you, but I've no doubt you'll be able to figure them out – but be careful! They were something else the Uchiha were curious about – it was a technique unknown to them and, as such, it got their hackles up._

_I'm sorry for what I've done to you and what I'm going to do… I won't ask you not to hate me, this is probably all too much for a boy of six but at least know that you were – and still are – very precious to us and I pray for you to have the chance to redeem the Hatake name and… perhaps  see me as more than a failure. I certainly hope Eiko will forgive me! Don't ever doubt that we're intensely proud of you, that you are our beloved son and despite how little time we had._

_Watch out for your enemies – regrettably, many of them may attempt to strike at you for old grudges they hold against me, but keep close to Minato – no one will dare confront him, not even the Uchiha, I think. Stay strong, find your path in life that you can stick to. It's difficult to ignore the scathing words and attitudes of others, but true misery is trying to ignore your own nature to please others, I know, I've been there and it's a pain unlike any other. The world is a cruel place, but you have allies and many who love you, including your mother and I even if we can't be there to help you in person, I hope you'll find good friends to help you through – Sakumo-papa._

Kakashi found himself sighing heavily as he landed outside his woodland home – just thinking about the final message from his father brought a heavy ache to his chest – if he'd read that passage before any of the past month had happened, he would probably have dismissed those words as lies, or the desperate sobbing of a doomed man but now, he felt only the ache of the old scar from that time in his life, at how betrayed he felt for his father's sake yet  _again_. The Copy Nin silently traced the steps across the clearing before sliding back his front door, slipping off his sandals and heading to heat some water for tea.

Now that he'd read all of what was contained in the diary, Kakashi decided that he'd turn his attention to the other documents in the tin box he'd found and was yet to look fully through – there was a scroll, which, upon initially trying to blow him up, he'd set aside for a later time. He'd looked through many of the other sheets of paper and found many notes pertaining to the white chakra and its manipulation – Eiko's diary had gone into some detail about the politics of the era his parents' had lived in – for as many whispered words of hate he'd heard during his childhood, and for as many times as Sakumo had been made an example of, Kakashi had never  _actually_  been told about his father not that he would have listened anyway, but now, the suspicious absence of any mention actually  _bothered_ him.

* * *

It was still stifling – Sakura couldn't remember when it had last been so humid and lethargic – at least the heat earlier had been the burning, dry sort, but over the past few hours it had grown heavier and infinitely more oppressive, she didn't think  _air_  could feel so heavy; she must have been on a long-term mission to nicely avoid the summer last year. Having tugged her summer sandals over her feet, grabbed the large bottle of saké by the neck before she hoisted the melon onto her hip and locked the door to her apartment and turned to leap away, over the rooftops towards the edge of the village.

A majority of Konoha was absorbed in the (abnormally hot) spring festival – there was a lot of singing and music coming from the far side, it always began in the civilian district, but Sakura was headed in the opposite direction. As much as she enjoyed the festival on occasion, it had lost its magic through the years and the thought of being crushed in with hundreds of other people all shouting and cheering whilst being deafened by the passing parade had long since lost its charm.

The sun was barely scraping the horizon, just as she left the village walls and despite the rising night, the heat didn't seem to be abating any. She darted through the trees at perhaps a slightly slower pace than normal – breathing a sigh of relief at the cooler temperature within the woodland; as she marched up to the house, the heavy wooden security fusuma had been slid right back and the tradition wood and paper door beneath had been opened about an inch or so, enough to encourage the shy draft. She stepped inside the now familiar house and slid her sandals off, stowing them on the shelf and replaced the fusuma to its ajar position,

"Kakashi?"

"Out here," She stepped to the right, turning the corner to reveal that said man had removed the outer fusuma panels down the side of the corridor to open it up and was sat on the outside decking, the engawa. He was dressed in his typical shinobi gear of the dark shirt and trousers, but for his sandals, flak-jacket and haitai-ate (he was wearing an eye patch instead), he looked thoroughly relaxed – and Sakura did her best to follow suit and ignore the lingering uneasiness from her earlier thoughts. There was a chabudai [small, short legged table] between him and a zabuton, presumably for Sakura; he eyed the melon in her hands with vague amusement as she took a seat and placed the bottle of spirit she'd brought with her upon the chabudai,

"I didn't realised you felt the urge to bring a guest with you." Kakashi said, prompting Sakura to roll her eyes, the melon was something of beast of a fruit, but she placed beside the tiny chabudai (for fear of crushing the delicate table),

"It's a good night for eating melon and I can't eat this by myself," He nodded as poured her a cupful of saké, they toasted each other and drank down the rice wine, the buzz gained from its potency was a pleasant accompaniment to the balmy evening, she sighed contentedly, "Thanks for inviting me here, Kakashi, I wasn't looking forward to try and ignore all of the noise made by the festival," He raised an eyebrow – apparently at her creative use of the word 'invitation',

"Hmm, well, I guess my hope for a completely peaceful hanami was far-fetched,"

The kuniochi pursed her lips as she took a very unimpressed look upon her face, "If you  _really_ didn't want me here, you could have just said, you know,"

Kakashi narrowed his eye his eye at her momentarily, "Well, I suppose, but then again, you did bring some melon and a bottle of rice wine – maybe I can forgive you," She grinned and refilled his cup before her own, and the kuniochi turned to look over his garden, the buds and early leaves were coming out in force, slowly giving life back to the once barren space.

"What state was the village in when you left?"

"The cavalcade was beginning in the civilian district and there were numbers of people milling around, I think everyone's waiting for the night to grow a little," Sakura answered without turning our attention fully to the man beside her,

"I wonder how Naruto and Sai are celebrating…"

She offered a rueful smile, "Naruto claimed that he was going to find out what food was on offer with Kiba and Lee and apparently Sai was going to use the opportunity to perfect his ability to draw plants, flowers and crowds," She flicked her eyes over to him and upon seeing his raised eyebrow, she answered the silent question, "Oh, Sai, Naruto, Yamato and I met up for a spar this morning – we would have invited you, but it seemed like you disappeared," He apparently grinned,

"Maybe your tracking skills are faltering, Sakura-chan," She rolled her eyes,

"What were you doing, then? Except for hiding from us,"

"Me? I was on an investigation." He offered; her eyebrows immediately pinched in as the confusion played across her face,

"For what?"

"For something hidden in plain sight," She pursed her lips slightly at Kakashi's typical avoidance tactics – as well as the smug grin of his face – which was more noticeable without his haitai-ate in the way. It was refreshing to see him a little less covered up, he was slightly easier to read and he  _looked_  more relaxed, more like a man, rather than a ninja or a superior. "Who won from Naruto and Sai?"

"Actually, Yamato decided to put a stop to that before it began and he spared with Naruto, and I with Sai…it was actually fun sparing for a test of tactics rather than for the sake of just brute force and who has a more destructive jutsu,"

"I guess that would be refreshing for practice detailing the finer points of strategy instead – Naruto's not exactly known for that,"

"Ha! No and neither was Tsunade, but Yamato and Sai make up for it well, I think,"

"I'm hurt Sakura-chan, you don't think of me as a strategist?" His voice was the perfect mix of plaintive and playful, she rolled her eyes at him, unable to keep a wry grin tugging at her lips,

"And exactly when was the last time we did a training session focussing on tactics?"

"Well, for so long, the both of you practiced your tactics inherently in trying to keep up with me,"

"Really? And here I seem to remember us beating you on our  _first_  training session after Naruto returned with Jiraiya-sama," He didn't directly and immediately respond – _how surprising_. The kuniochi hesitated for a few moments before she took a slight breath in before posing what she intuitively knew to be an awkward question, "Hey, can I ask you a question about those chakra knives of yours?" Kakashi was apparently equally unsure as there was a moment's pause before he nodded, murmuring his approval; "Where do you get them? I'd never seen anything like them before – both for the fact that they allowed chakra to  _connect_  between them, that's something I've never come across and the fact that it was so responsive to my chakra…" She couldn't help but begin to gesticulate – as a medic, and therefore a scientist, at heart – her inner-geek marvelled at the intricacies behind the weave of a metal that could so easily conduit chakra;

"They're quite something, aren't they?" As aloof and often cool as Kakashi did his very best to project, neither he nor Sakura could mistake the slight wonder and reverence hidden in his voice,

"Really, they are! Usually, for chakra based weapons they have to be calibrated to a person's specific chakra nature but, for it so readily accept my own…I…"

"I have to admit, it surprised me as well, for your chakra to be so easily transmitted but, you said about your inherently flexible chakra, right? It's possible that it's due to your status as a medic, the fact that your chakra is naturally more supple than all but the most elite of shinobi, so that your chakra flowed more naturally through the metal than another's,"

"I suppose that's possible and probably the most likely explanation, but how did you get a hold of a metal so  _versatile?_  I almost can't imagine it, the level of craftsmanship must have been exquisite. Where did you get them? Did they belong to one of your parents?"

"As a matter of fact, they did. Apparently, they were my mother's,"

A pastel pink eyebrow rose along with the kuniochi's intrigue, "Really? Hmm do you have any idea about how she might of crafted them? Or who had done so?"

"…" Kakashi wasn't entirely sure whether he wanted to answer that question, "I'm not sure," Perhaps a redirection of conversation was needed, "You know, I would have thought that you'd have come across some sensitive chakra tools in the past aren't they used in medical procedures?" Sakura half nodded-half shook her head,

"Hmm, well, sort of – they're very occasionally used when an incredibly minute channel of chakra is needed, but again, those tools are extremely difficult to use and are generally made to fit a specific medic, at best, medics who are at an almost identical level – and they're nowhere near as sensitive as those weapons…"

"Do you know how they're made?"

"The chakra channelling tools? Well I think the metal forged so that it's almost ready to be cooled, before an injection of chakra is introduced and its fired again, the process is repeated a number of times of that the malleability of the metal allows for the chakra flow to alter the structure of the tool to specifically accept the flow of the chakra but still... that method is extremely imprecise, and the metal – depending on its purity – tends not to respond so well to the chakra," She took a swift sip of sake as she turned a little more to face him, "But the level of craftsmanship to make those knives – the way they seemed to  _store_  the chakra too, I can't imagine..."

"Eh? How did you know they stored chakra?"

"Oh, I could feel the tendrils of your chakra still in the metal as mine coursed through it, there was far more than simple residue of a previous user,"

Kakashi stared at her curiously for a few moments, "The method you mentioned about introducing chakra to the metal – would it be possible to do that for two types of chakra to one blade?"

Sakura's head cocked to the side slightly as she considered his question, "Well… I suppose it  _is_  possible, but care would have to be taken to make sure that there was an equal amount of both chakras fed into it, but since I have almost no knowledge of general metal-mongering, I can only guess," Kakashi nodded as he refilled both of their cups with rice-wine, "This house certainly is full of surprises, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is. Anyway, how about we have some melon?" He said,

"Sure!" She replied and Kakashi rose to his feet to walk away as Sakura brandished a kunai and immediately sliced through the bloated fruit where it sat on the engawa and it was just as soon divided into manageable slices; Kakashi returned with his hands full of plates, a knife and chopping board, his eyebrow slowly sank at the sight of Sakura having completely disregarded conventional fruit preparation standards,

"I see you're in an especially civilised mood today, Sakura-chan," Her lips twitched into a sheepish smile before she could stop it, but remedied the situation by handing him a slice, which he gratefully accepted before reseating himself on his zabuton (as Sakura quickly moved the fruit onto the plates and the discarded innards of the melon onto the board); his gaze continued to linger over the woman to his left, who had immediately taken a bite of her own slice of melon. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason her lips caught his attention as they glittered from the moisture of the fruit, they suddenly seemed so lush and, dare he even begin to think it,  _tempting_  but before he could look away (and wonder if the booze had already gone to his head), her rich, intensely pink tongue darted out to swipe along her bottom lip.

It was unsettling to say the least for the fact he found it so mesmerising, but he quickly pulled himself back and turned away to tug down his mask and devour his own slice of melon. The silence pervaded for a little while longer as the cool moisture brought by the food, chilled them from the inside out and helped to make the stifling heat seem a little less; a sudden, but more than welcome breeze picked up and wafted through the trees, over the roof and swirled around inside the inner garden of Kakashi's, bringing with it a small storm of sakura petals that wove and danced in the twirling wind.

They caught the light from Kakashi's home as they twisted and fluttered, some slowly falling to rest among the ornamental rocks in the garden, beneath the maple, while others found their way higher into the air – a few even settled themselves upon the edges of the decking, still flickering as their delicate pale pink flesh caught the residue of the zephyr.

Somehow, just the simple act of watching the fluttering petals eased Sakura a little, the abrupt ebbs of tension followed by flows of ease had her a little on guard – something she didn't like feeling around Kakashi – being someone she'd known for basically her entire career as a ninja, which almost as old as she was. Sure, they'd had a few rough spots and times where they'd hadn't communicated at all for months on end, but it hadn't taken Sakura long to realise that Kakashi was simply more at ease with adults than he ever would be with children – and, almost as though he'd read her mind, things seemed to ease between them (as well as with Naruto, too) and they trained together far more naturally for there was no harsh, unbridgeable gap of sensei to student but rather, as two friends and comrades.

Of course, they knew when to stay within the boundaries as necessary, but when they weren't on a mission, well, it was a strangely wonderful feeling to be able to share a joke with the man – it, more than anything, told Sakura she'd arrived, so to speak, as a ninja. So now for there to be some awkwardness that she had serious difficulty in fully explaining (or even vaguely understanding) was disturbing indeed, and it was just as difficult to try and find a way around it – without directly acknowledging the fact that there was this  _something_.

"Sakura?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know how far back the medical records at the hospital go?"

"Far, I think, though there's generally not much reason to look through them unless it's with direct relation to a specific illness or ailment," This was safe territory; did Kakashi feel the same uncertainness she did? He  _was_  a very perceptive man, so probably he did, "If you're looking for a family's records, then generally you should be allowed to access them; I guess that's what this is about?"

"It is, I wanted to get a look at my parents' files,"

"Well, you'd probably have a high chance of getting hold of them since it's only a generation back. You can ask Tsunade-sama and I'm sure she'll agree and have the records pulled for you." He nodded as Sakura poured them both out another cupful of rice wine before taking a second slice of melon, "Are you looking for something specific?"

"Just some general information, really," He replied vaguely. Hmm, perhaps that had been something of a personal question;

"Heh, you weren't planning on asking me to circumvent medical procedure, were you?" She didn't bother to hide the slightly mischievous tone to her voice, which Kakashi easily caught,

"My, my Sakura-chan you are so suspicious of me! Do you really think me so dishonourable?" Despite the air of authority and confidence Kakashi seemed to eternally project, he really did play the plaintiff, 'kicked-puppy' abnormally well;

"If it suited your purposes, then yes, frankly," She averted her eyes from the half-eaten melon slice in her hands to the wounded-looking shinobi next to her, it wasn't easy to keep a straight face at just how crestfallen he managed to look: both his eyebrows were raised, but pinched slightly and she could easily imagine his mouth slightly open. A small breath of laugher escaped her as the Copy Nin's shoulders dropped slightly,

"Mou, Sakura-chan…we've known each other for years, I was even your sensei, but you don't trust me?"

"I didn't say I didn't trust you – I just said that you'd probably do that if you were so inclined," Another peel of laughter escaped her, "You can't pretend you're all-good, Kakashi, I've known you too long," His expression slowly changed to one of playful irritation,

"Hmm, things were so much simpler when you two were children,"

She raised an eyebrow, "Were they?"

He sighed, turning his head slightly as he raised his cupful of saké to his lips,"…No, I suppose not…" He grumbled, "But it doesn't mean you're not still troublesome,"

"Hahah!" Sakura sipped again from her own cup, "Someone's got to keep you on your toes, ne, Kakashi- _sensei?_ " He only rolled his eyes at this, before he drew a hand through his hair, in tandem with another breeze that ruffled their clothes – the heat was beginning to falter and finally, the air was now delightfully cool; a gentle silence settled over them this time, one which formed a companionable lake whose surface only rippled at the sounds of the wind through the trees or the slight chink of china on the chabudai.

It was always so comfortable to sit with Kakashi like this, he carried his own air of peace and composure that never failed to lull Sakura into an easiness of her own – unless of course, they were on a mission. The kuniochi took a deep breath in and readied herself to leave – it was a shame, it was so relaxing here, but it was getting late too, and perhaps Kakashi wanted some time to himself. She rose up on her knees, averting her eyes to the shinobi beside her,

"Well, I guess I should head off, thanks for letting me join you tonight, Kakashi," He nodded as he too found his feet and followed her from the engawa and around to the foyer by his front door;

"No problem, thanks for the melon, and the bottle of saké," She offered a return smile as she rose from having slipped her zori over her feet, and found herself caught in his gaze, her attention focussed on the single dark eye, which peered back at her – his typically unreadable expression seemed less harsh, less angular than normal. It seemed  _softer_  somehow, more inviting – it was both bizarre and warming, they seemed both so close and distant at the same time. With a short nod, she tore herself away wandered away from the front door – offering a last smile to the nin stood in the doorway before she leapt up and into the treeline.

..

.

A/n – I did my best to have them flirt a little through this chapter, but damn, for some reason, I find it extremely difficult to do (both in written word and in real life hahah -.-') but I hope at least a sense of teasing/playful/flirtatious banter came though…if not…well, I've said it here now, so...


	17. Peace In Your Heart, Fortune In Your Steps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Title come from a traditional saying of Chakotay's tribe from ST:Voyager 2X22 "Innocence" 
> 
> \- I intend for chapters 17 and 18 to be essentially two halves of one larger chapter, although they won't directly follow on in the way the last sentence of C17 and the opening sentence of C18 could be read straight on as though there was nothing more separating them than a tap of the spacebar, but more in the sense that 17 and 18 are slightly more closely tied together than the other chapters in general (sort of in the way chapters 4 and 5 were earlier).

"Oh, but Sakura-chhhaaannn!" His bright blue eyes rounded and they connected with Sakura's green ones as he clasped his hands together beneath his chin and allowed his lip to quiver slightly in his desperation to recruit the kuniochi to his cause – but she stubbornly refused, closing her eyes, folding her arms and pursing her lips; "Sakuraaa…" Her eyebrow twitched dangerously as Sai walked up to them, his curious expression telling of how little he understood the situation;

"Um…what's going on?" Both eyes of blue and green turned to him as he alerted them to his appearance,

"Sakura-chan's being mean!" Naruto replied instantly, 

"I'm not being  _mean_  baka, but somehow, I don't think Sasuke's first meal with his team having returned to Konoha for the first time in more than a decade should be  _ramen_  of all things – he  _hates_ ramen… or at least, he used to." Sakura said,

"No he didn't!"

" _You_  didn't,  _he_  did," Sakura corrected as Naruto's eyebrows pinched together in irritation, he folded his arms and pouted,

"…So un _fair_ ," Naruto's plaintiff responses only caused her to roll her eyes as Kakashi finally put in appearance, hidden from behind his copy of  _Icha Icha Taktikusu_ , with Yamato beside him, a light smile on his face – apparently amused by the childishness in the blonde's voice,

"Hmm? Isn't this supposed to be a happy occasion? Sasuke's finally back and is being freed, why are you arguing?" Yamato asked,

"Kakashi! You're here! And only half an hour late!" Naruto's surprise distracted him from the argument. The Copy Nin didn't need to fake the smile from Naruto's amazed words, "But Sakura-chan refuses to allow us to go and eat at Ichiraku!"

"Heh, Naruto, Ichiraku is the only place you ever  _eat_ , whether it's a good day or bad – don't you want to go somewhere special? It's an occasion to celebrate after all." The bottom lip of the Uzumaki's merely jutted in response as he averted his eyes, to which Yamato grinned more broadly in response, "Come on, Naruto, you finally have your teammate back…try to be a little more reasonable, hmm?"

"Thank you, Yamato-Taichou!" Sakura supplied as the door to Tsunade's office suddenly opened and she beckoned the five of them into her office, Sakura followed Naruto in, uncertain of what she'd see – yes she  _knew_  that Sasuke was supposed to be on the other side, but the last she'd seen of him was a broken but still somehow self-important in an over compensating way… only a shadow of the boy she knew from so many years ago. What would she find now? He was sat with his back to them in a chair pulled up to a few feet opposite Tsunade's desk – he didn't so much as twitch as they entered the room; Naruto seemed to pick up on it and hesitated as he took a few steps towards the other nin.

Tsunade re-seated herself at her desk and clasped her hands together allowing her chin to rest upon them, her eyes fixing first upon Sasuke, but quickly averted them to the group behind him,

"All right, as you are all aware, Sasuke is being given a second chance to make a life for himself in Konoha; I stress that this will be the  _last_  chance I'll be offering you, by no means will it be a smooth journey, but you're no longer on your own and unaffiliated, you have to follow the rules set."

"I understand," There was an edge to his voice, but he managed to reign it in just enough,

"Then you're allowed to go with the rest of your team for a few hours, but ANBU  _will_  be keeping an eye on you until I give them express orders otherwise, and I expect  _exemplary_  reports from them, understood?" The boy nodded as he rose to his feet, to reveal that he was dressed in… strangely  _normal_  civilian clothing, his wore a short-sleeved jinbei style, beige coloured shirt with a slightly darker coloured long sleeved top beneath and some vaguely ninja styled trousers, but lacking any bandages or securing's around the shins; on the back of his collar, however was another (surprisingly diminutive)  _uchiwa_  – his clan's symbol of the white and red fan.

He looked as sullen and unemotional as ever as stuffed his hands into his pockets and stepped forward, pointedly ignoring Naruto's amazed gaze,

"Well? What are you waiting for? Get out of my sight," Tsunade curtly cut across as she huffed and leant back in her seat, bringing a document up to her face in the pretence of unrelenting business matters; the six shinobi quickly took the hint as they disappeared out of the door, she waited for it to close behind them with a  _'click'_  before the Hokage sighed and slumped in her seat; the Uchiha had been just as much trouble to deal with as she'd expected, but she  _had_  been a little caught off guard by how accepting Sasuke had seemed. Honestly, despite the reports of the team when they brought him back, she really had anticipated  _some_  sort of resentment or resistance to being back in Konoha,  _something_  that would suggest he still had his own mind and personality – and that it felt something other than defeat.

There was a brief knock at the door before Shizune's head appeared,

"Tsunade-sama?" The blonde shifted suddenly, trying to cover up as subtly as she could the fact she'd been staring into space,

"Hai, Shizune, I'm almost done looking over reports for the Genin due to take this year's Chuunin exams, so you can take them down to the Intel department later," The other kuniochi stepped into the room and closed the door behind her,

"It's alright, Tsunade-sama, Ibiki-san isn't expecting them until later and, I know I really shouldn't encourage you, but I thought perhaps…" She held up a large bottle of (especially fine, Tsunade noted) saké from the Shushuya and two cups,

"Oh, thanks  _Kami-sama!_  Shizune you are a life saver! Get over here!" A thankful smile immediately appeared on the Godamie's face as she leaned back in her chair slightly, "I promise to yell at you less often!" The brunette couldn't resist the grin as she took a seat and poured out some rice wine into the two cups,

"I'd like to believe that, this time."

* * *

As the group made it down the stairs, nothing had been said and the tension was even beginning to get to Naruto, but before Sakura could step in (her medical training included cheerful small-talk,  _despite_  Tsunade's appearances, the woman was highly qualified in that field), a sudden call of her name drew her attention,

"Sakura-san! Sakura-san!" One of the nurses from the hospital ran towards her, looking flustered to say the least, "One of our patients in post-op has succumbed to a serious infection and we need a medic to help us!" Her instinct kicked in without hesitation, and she began to walk away with the nurse at her side, towards the hospital,

"What are his symptoms? What was the surgery for?" The kuniochi only managed to half turn back and offer a wave of her hand to say, "Sorry, I'll have to catch up to you guys!" Just before she disappeared out of the door, leaving the others behind; all of them but Sasuke were quite used their pink-haired teammate being in such high demand, and as such her departure was met with little more a brief wave and a grin from Naruto,

"Well, I guess I should introduce myself," One of the later additions to Team Kakashi began as they stepped out of the administration building and into the late morning sunshine; he touched his hand to his chest, "I'm Yamato, and I was a temporary taichou for Team Kakashi whilst Kakashi-sampai himself was incapacitated or commanding other teams," He offered his signature light, amiable smile, but was confronted by Sasuke's equally signature blank stare (but somehow still easily transmitting how unimpressed he was); Naruto was quick to make use of the silence,

"Sasuke! How about we go and get something to eat? I vote for ramen!"

"Didn't you listen to a word Sakura said, Dickless? She said Stupid…" Sai seemed to cut himself off, aware of his words, "…She said  _Sasuke_  doesn't like ramen," Said blonde's eyebrows immediately snapped into an angry frown as he turned to face his teammate,

"Sssaaaii!"

"What do  _you_  want to do, Sasuke?" Kakashi cut across, peeking over the top if his "adult" novel; the Uchiha didn't immediately react, but, as he became aware of the eyes on him, he shrugged, before rasping,

"Ramen is fine,"

"Well, then, let's go,"

"Yes! Whoo!" Naruto immediately threw his arms above his head and jumped forward a few step, up to where Yamato and Sai were stood, both looking exasperated, Kakashi found himself falling into line beside Sasuke – neither said anything, but the Copy Nin had to admit, even he couldn't tell if it was because of Sasuke's persistent contempt of him, or if it was because he simply had nothing to say. As they traced their way through the streets, there were plenty of hushed whispers and pointed fingers from civilians who perhaps thought they were being suitably subtle; the silver-haired former sensei couldn't resist the numerous questions swirling around in him any longer,

"Does it mean  _anything_  to you, Sasuke, to be back here in your home village after all this time?" The Uchiha twisted his head very slightly, as though he had been going to turn to look at Kakashi, but thought better of it at the last minute;

"…I have no home."

"Naruto might disagree."

"He's a fool."

"…Is he? Look where you are, Sasuke, right where Naruto said he'd get you." Kakashi didn't like how aggressive his own words sounded in that sentence, but it had the desired effect when he caught sight of the corner of the Uchiha's eye twitching slightly, "Well, you probably just need a bit of time; this  _will_  take time to get used to, after all." Kakashi nonchalantly flipped the page, Sasuke shot a glare at his former-sensei, but as he cleared his throat to retort against the condescending tone he'd used, a flash of orange caught his attention,

"Sasuke! How about we go to the training grounds after this for a super spar! Since we can only use taijutsu, we can just work on blocks without dodges or strikes but no blocks! Or how about the tag-thing? Where we can only use four moves at a go to disable our opponent?" Kakashi's eyebrows frowned slightly in response to his realisation,

"Naruto, have you been training with Gai, recently?" He asked and the blonde offered an enthusiastic grin,

"Yea! He and bushy-brows have some really cool training methods! Hey, if you knew them, why'd you never teach us? That would have been something  _useful!_ " He jabbed an accusing finger at his former sensei, although the playfulness to his tone was about as subtle as his choice of attire,

"Ahaha, Naruto, you know how busy we are; besides, it's nice to have a variety of training methods from different teachers, isn't it?"

"Hmm maybe – but what d'you say, Sasuke?" Another silence pervaded for a few moments, and the Copy Nin couldn't completely pretend (to himself, at least) that a part of Sasuke's reticence in answering was because the Uchiha thought he might just possibly  _lose_? Sasuke was still feeling the effects of a lingering respiratory illness and he looked thinner than a shinobi at peak fitness should;

"I have stuff to do today," Another half-cough, "I have to move in."

"Oh, oh! I'll help you! We'll help you! Where're you living? …Haha, do you even have any stuff to  _move_? Hahah?"

"Dobe…" By that point, they'd reached the fabled Ichiraku and as Yamato pulled aside the curtain, Teuchi turned to greet his guests and gaped in amazement,

"Sa-Sasuke? Uchiha Sasuke? You're… here? After all this time?" Teuchi looked positively astounded as he blinked at Sasuke for a few minutes, during which time Ayame had appeared from the back of the shop holding a large cauldron-like saucepan in her arms, she set it down on one of the hobs before turning around – her eyes snapped wide open, at that, as she clapped eyes on the dark haired shinobi,

" _You!_ " She was angry, surprisingly,  _scarily_  angry; Sasuke almost had half a mind to take a step back when the ramen-chef rounded on him. Angry shinobi he knew how to handle, but an angry, civilian, female chef who was completely unintimidated by him? That was a different kettle of noodles entirely, "You're back here, suddenly, just like 'that'? Have you  _any idea_  how worried you made your teammates? How much time and effort they put in to catching up to you, yet you betrayed them at every turn! Argh!" The woman snapped her mouth shut in anger as she'd raised a clenched fist that was near shaking with barely restrained irritation,

"Ahaha, Ayame-san, I had no idea you felt so strongly on the subject," Kakashi cut across, his hand rising to scratch just beneath the knot in his haitai-ate, silently betraying his surprise and slight embarrassment…even  _he_  hadn't made that much fuss to Sasuke over the years.

"How could I not? After everything that's happened? To Naruto-kun, your team, Konoha? You've got a lot to make up for, mister!" Sasuke couldn't do much else but blink at the strange tirade that was directed at him – in brief moments of madness, during which he'd vaguely imagined who might have a go at him for is previous actions, the ramen-stand people weren't even  _on_  the list, let alone at the top.

"Sasuke pays for lunch!" Naruto – in his classic style – completely missed the fact that the threat in Ayame's voice was a lot harsher than it came across (and it even came across as pretty damn terrifying), but in doing so, he'd successfully cooled the tension as Yamato grinned his amusement and took a seat next to Kakashi, who was one from the end, Naruto was sat between Sai and Sasuke – the latter was the far side of Yamato.

"Heheh, well then, since Sasuke's being so generous, what would you all like?"

"A large miso with extra pork!" Naruto didn't even give the Uchiha time to draw breath,

"I'll have the same," Sai continued,

"A pork special," Yamato requested,

"I feel the need to point out that I have  _no_  money," Sasuke offered, instead, but Ayame waved her hand dismissively,

"Oh, don't worry, you'll have to earn money at  _some_ point – I'll just collect it when you have enough," Sasuke frowned lightly, not liking the sound of how innocent she suddenly sounded,

"A spicy chicken," He conceded, apparently to her satisfaction;

"And a standard miso, thanks Ayame-san," She nodded to the Copy Nin before turning to begin preparing the soup bases;

"I can't believe you ended up at Ichiraku's anyway," The slightly unimpressed voice of Sakura caught Kakashi's, Yamato's and Teuchi's attention as she slipped into the free stool beside the silver-haired Jounin;

"Sakura-san!" Teuchi grinned, herself being another regular customer of the ramen stand, "What would you like to eat?"

"A large miso, please," He nodded and turned away to busy himself with the order,

"See, Sakura, it was _Sasuke_  who wanted ramen! He  _does_  like it!" The kuniochi rolled her eyes as she leant on her elbow on the counter, allowing her to look beyond Kakashi to see Naruto, Sasuke and Sai, the blonde was leaning forward too, grinning idiotically at her (and his apparent victory),

"Does he? Or did he just agree to stop your shouting?" The tiniest smirk appeared on the Uchiha's face offering a silent  _bingo!_  To Sakura's guess,

"How was your patient?" Kakashi asked as Ayame set bowls in front of the five men, and they all fell very quiet – of course the Copy Nin had finished his ramen in record time, which left him free to chat with the kuniochi who was still waiting on her lunch;

"He's fine now; it was a nasty infection, but thankfully, the nurses had picked up on it before it spread too far so it was relatively easy to heal,"

"I'm glad, you seem to be in high demand these days." She offered a light grin in response,

"Medics aren't easy to train since they're primarily for field work, it's the nurses and civilian doctors that work at the hospital, mostly and of course, that's not to mention the pre-requisites of chakra talents, determination, intelligence etcetera I guess you could say I'm in something of a niche market." She said, Kakashi opened his mouth to say something else, but another voice sounded instead;

" _So_ , here you are, my dear kuniochi!"

Sakura couldn't hide her shoulder slouch as she recognised the voice from behind her, "Oh for goodness sake!" She cried as she turned to face the smug grin of Gerimaru, "Can't you take the hint?" She made sure to keep a playful undertone to her words, but it was subtle enough for the seriousness of them to be effectively transmitted;

"Oh, come  _on_ ," Here, his smile turned coy (it was quite disturbing), "Isn't it even a  _little_  bit tempting?"

"No." Sakura folded her arms, ignoring the confused expressions of Sasuke, Sai and Yamato (as well as the expression of Naruto as he fought to control his own laughter),

"It would help the alliance and I can promise you a good, stable future." He wiggled his eyebrow and it was getting more and more challenging to beat down the urge to punch him  _again_ ,

"I  _have_  a stable future whether I marry or not – let alone to you – besides, I thought I'd already made myself clear." She clenched one of her hands into a fist in silent reiteration,

"Oh, I remember," She really didn't like the tone he used for that – like he'd somehow  _enjoyed_  the experience, "You are strong in both manner and body, excellent qualities for a wife."

"Willingness tends to help, too…" Yamato, who'd grown progressively more amused at the spar between Gerimaru and Sakura (he'd heard Naruto's account of the kuniochi's reaction to the Uzu nin's "proposal"), eyed the bored, unimpressed (and slightly irritated) expression on his sampai's face, and couldn't resist a dig at him,

"Haha, Kakashi-sampai, you don't look so worried at the prospect of some other man pursuing your  _wife._ " It was at this point that Sasuke finally choked on a bite of his lunch (which took three slaps of Naruto's hand on his back to dislodge the little, unlevened, boiled dough product from its attempt to kill him. That would certainly be a new level of humiliation after everything; the great return rise of the Uchiha clan: foiled by a noodle);

"Wh-what?" He stared thoroughly confused at his former sensei and the woman, his former teammate, sat beside him – both of whom were practically radiating amusement, Kakashi quickly turned his attention to Yamato, from Sasuke,

"Well, Yamato,  _Gerimaru-san,_ " The Copy Nin also flicked his eyes to the man as he addressed him, "I trust Sakura-chan to be nothing but loyal to me, just as I trust her to take care of herself." He offered a ridiculously happy-go-lucky grin as Sasuke scoffed,

"That's absurd."

"Is it really so hard to believe that I do actually trust her?" Kakashi replied,

"No, I mean it stupid to even  _think_  that you're married…" He shot a contemptuous look at Kakashi, which Sakura easily caught,

"But it  _wouldn't_ be stupid to think of  _you_  as married?" Gerimaru cleared his throat, drawing attention back to himself,

"Sakura-san, I know you're not married to him, it's just a silly rumour; but I am serious about what I've been saying to you. I want you to seriously consider what I am offering," He stared at her keenly, and Sakura couldn't fault the sincerity in his tone, but as she tried to formulate an answer, someone beat her to the punch,

"…Is this what's called being…ah…'romantic'?" Sai asked, completely killing the already feeble 'moment' that there had been as Sakura had to literally bite her lip in order to prevent herself from busting into riotous laughter,

" _No,_ " Came the response from both Kakashi and Yamato, both sounding strangely absolute – Gerimaru looked horrified, but he didn't get another word out,

"Haruno-san!" An ANBU appeared beside the Uzu nin, making him jolt in surprise, "Tsunade-sama requests your presence immediately."

"Hai," The kuniochi rose to her feet, just as Ayame held out the bowl of ramen, "Sorry, Ayame-san, Teuichi-san, but I've got to go,"

"But…your ramen, Sakura-san…"

"Don't worry, I'll eat it!" Naruto cut in, raising his hand in the air,

Sakura rolled her eyes, "You're a life-saver, Naruto. See you guys!" She almost immediately disappeared, leaving Gerimaru spluttering as the ANBU turned to him,

"Siina-san, aren't you supposed to be heading to a meeting with the Intelligence department?"

"I'll take him," Kakashi hopped to his feet as the porcelain masked nin abruptly disappeared "Thanks for lunch, Sasuke, I'll see you around," Kakashi waved before he ambled slowly away. Gerimaru was somewhat reluctant to follow, but he soon caught up to walk beside the Copy Nin as they wove through the fairly busy streets of Konohagakure. Said silver-haired Jounin forced himself to choose his words carefully,

"Gerimaru-san, I would like to trust that you have only  _good_  intentions concerning Sakura,"

"What? Of course I do!" He sounded affronted that the mere implication of anything untoward,

"Good and I hope you understand that Sakura makes her own choices and if she says 'no', then she means  _no._ " He caught the Siina's eye, "You seem to have been very pushy recently."

"Oh, please!" He scoffed, "Women are known to like playing hard to get."

"Possibly, but even I think punching you is just a little extreme for a  _game_ ,"

"Hmph, I thought you trusted her, but her you are trying to make decisions for her."

"I do trust her,  _you_  on the other hand…" Kakashi paused to a halt, just before they turned the last corner to head down the final street towards the intel division, "Uzushio is important to Konoha and I think we have a lot to offer each other, but a part of diplomacy is respecting boundaries. I can see why you'd think a political marriage might be of benefit, but we're not in the dark ages any more, we don't need a forced tie like that to make it work – give Sakura and Konoha a little more respect and there'll be no problems."

There was a reason Kakashi didn't like making speeches, he couldn't help but think he always sounded like a pompous ass, but the flicker over Gerimaru's eye was enough for him; he'd hoped he'd gotten the message across. He could take almost any joke with a pinch of salt, but Gerimaru was coming on a little strongly with more at stake than a bruised ego; "Come on, you've got a meeting to attend."

 

After he'd dropped off Gerimaru, he decided to take himself home to pick up a different copy of  _Icha Icha (Violence)_ , as well as pick up his chakra knives for a bit of sparing when he reached the Jounin training grounds. It had been a few hours since he'd last set eyes on the others, although he'd bumped into Yamato, who'd said that the three younger nin were helping Sasuke 'move in'; the ANBU had then taken his leave and had gone to get some training of his own in and was on his way back to his apartment when he'd run across Kakashi.

They'd parted again, after a few brief words and the Copy Nin had continued his walk in the warm sunshine – he hadn't really known what to make of Sasuke; he seemed less stubborn and hateful than when they'd last exchanged words, but somehow, the younger nin didn't look any less wounded. He was strangely grateful too, that for the few minutes Sakura had been with them, she hadn't focussed too much on Sasuke… perhaps she'd kept in mind what the Abbot had said? About allowing Sasuke to heal himself? Damn, he should have kept that in mind too.

Kakashi's path took him down towards the training grounds where he could hear the shouts and orders issued from a preparing team, he leapt up to the higher branches of a nearby tree to observe for a few moments, having recognised the voice and chakra signature of his former kuniochi student.  _I guess that means Tsunade wanted to see her for a mission then…_ Kakashi thought with surprising disappointment, he'd gotten used to being around her so much over the past few months from their recent spate of missions together. She was stood in the middle of three other shinobi, she held her tantō securely in her gloved grasp and a kunai in the other as she dodged and deflected blows from the other nin,

"Shinji! You're dropping your guard on your right flank," She immediately darted forward and appeared just at said point, really for attack; the other nin wasn't completely unskilled, and he managed to throw his body out of the way in time to miss the slash from her tantō, but he didn't predict the follow through of Sakura's other fist which passed on and flew to the ground, splitting it wide open beneath him.

The kuniochi didn't waste a second for she span around in time to catch the strike of the second nin's blade as she directed her chakra to her feet and pushed off the ground, forcing her teammate backwards and to release the grip his sword had on hers. Sakura leapt away a few paces, resheathed her tantō and began to form hand seals in blindingly fast movements before a sudden twirl of water appeared in her left hand as she darted forward again; the water in her hand began to grow and twist into the form of a large shuriken – the kuniochi's strike was precise as, the water seemed to suddenly wildly fluctuate as she darted forward to catch the last of her teammates unawares.

As she charged him, he held his ground until the last minute, where a tendril of chakra water struck him, and his disappeared in a cloud of smoke; the real Uruki, however, had planned for that turn of events and sent a volley of kunai towards Sakura, she easily deflected them but it drew her attention away from her enemy and he darted in, three shuriken clenched in his fist.

Kakashi watched as she weaved and twisted out of the way – her lithe and petite feminine form easily darting and dodging the other blows – that same diminutive form which might seem, at first glance to be a hindrance, was actually one of tremendous stamina, strength and flexibility, that was superior in many ways to other men's brute force. And that they often underestimated her for that fact, made her all the more deadly.

The kuniochi managed to spin on a tight circle and bring up her heel to kick away his wrist and at the same time thrust her own hand forward to catch him with her ninjutsu; he was a flexible, though and managed to flip backwards, just missing the chakra laden fist-full of water. He formed his own seals and countered her fizzled-out jutsu with a huge Goukakkyuu that Sakura only just managed to dodge – although the side of her sandals and the back of her shirt got a little singed,

"All right…let's call it here," Sakura breathed as she stood back up to full height as the other two nin leapt in beside the third, "Uruki, good work – you two," She gestured to Shinji and Ikori, "Not bad, but you still need to work harder, your predictions aren't god enough, you're not reading my actions," Sakura pulled a small canteen from her belt and took a sip from it as the other two nin nodded, looking thoroughly exhausted – much to Kakashi's amusement. Sakura had remained stood straight and looking as though she'd suffered no more than a long stroll, while the subordinates were panting slightly, and hunched a little from their exertions;

"Talk to me, how do you think you did on an individual level?" She asked,

"As you said, Sakura-taichou, I had trouble in reading your next moves… and those damn craters of yours kept throwing me for a loop," Shinji offered a small smile along with his admission,

"I keep getting fooled by your taijutsu, especially when I think you're preparing for another strike but you suddenly flip through the seals and come with a ninjutsu…" Ikori offered, the kuniochi nodded again and turned to the final member, Uruki, her '…and you?' unspoken, but written all over her face, which the other nin easily read;

"…My timing with ninjutsu – like Ikori-kun, I keep thinking you're going to use more taijutsu but then you suddenly come out of nowhere with a ninjutsu and I can't react fast enough with a counter jutsu." She nodded carefully,

"Good, you did well on picking up on your faults – although I'll say that you also struggled a little on your timings with each other, that will be a challenge to rectify in such a short period of time, but it's not an insurmountable one. Where we're going won't throw the same problems that a standard mission will, you'll have to be on your toes at all times and you will  _have_  to learn how to trust one another…" She paused for a moment, to allow her words to sink in before she continued on a slightly different thread.

"You all seem to have a problem in the same areas so, I'm going to send you on a run and during it, I want you to do some image training; each of you image a one-on-one spar with me involving nin and taijutsu only. Imagine how you would respond and counter attack to my strikes in a spar like the one we've just had. I want you three to run for thirty minutes and to get as many times around the perimeter of Konoha as you can, meet back here after for another spar focusing on nin and taijutsu only – go!" The three nin sighed but immediately took off soon disappearing over the prow of the hill that led them towards the outer walls of the village.

Kakashi remained hidden for the time as Sakura quickly stretched out her arms before pulling out a loop of wire from her pouch as well as a number of kunai and she began to walk over towards the tree line, as she quickly began to set traps. She was so  _assertive_ , it was almost a surprise to the elder Jounin crouched in the trees, it was refreshing and slightly captivating to see her take charge so easily – the confident and self-assured Sakura who was sparring with and leading that group of Chuunin, Kakashi supposed based on their skill and responses to her questions, contrasted starkly with the Sakura he knew better – the Sakura he'd shared an evening of melon and saké with, earlier in the week.

That was a Sakura at ease with herself and assured, of course, Kakashi hadn't doubted that in years, but it was more like a flexible (or perhaps cute) confidence that the elder felt would never butt against his own or one he'd face any challenge for authority with – that Sakura was very much a known quantity, and more often than not encouraged his use of the suffix '-chan'.

But the Sakura in front of him certainly was mysterious, and one who he'd imagine having numerous, interesting battles of subtlety and wit with at any given turn and someone he'd have to handle carefully if he wanted anything to go his way. Though he couldn't help but imagine that losing might just not be the worst thing that could happen. He continued to gaze down at the kuniochi who quickly formed a set of seals and plunged her arm straight into the earth beneath her, presumably setting a trap.

It was a refreshing tonic to what he normally saw Sakura to be – the fact he'd just discovered another, hidden facet to a woman he thought he knew very well, it was… invigorating. He was so used to quickly reading people and being able to predict their movements in any given situation, that to find someone who'd managed to fool him in to thinking he'd seen everything, only to suddenly let slip something so tantalisingly different and jagged and  _strong_  that it made him wonder what else there must be left to discovered about her, was tantalising to say the least. Was there anyone who saw all sides of her, someone that knew everything about her?

He hoped not, that would unfairly ruin some of the charm, just like he almost didn't want her to find out he'd seen this side of her, that that would break some part of the spell, too; maybe he shouldn't have derived so much pleasure of feeling like he was the only one in the world to be witnessing this, to grasp its significance, of being a silent observer of something, somehow trivial, but at the same time immensely captivating.

..

.

 


	18. May This Day Find You At Peace And Leave You With Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title taken from the traditional saying of a delta-quadrant species known as the Drayans (ST: Voyager 02x22 "Innocence")

Sakura had awoken to bright sunshine that morning and it had set her in a good mood, which, thankfully, she'd managed to hold onto throughout the day – along with the sunshine – and it had made for pleasant sparring weather with her team. Of course, it hadn't taken them long to begin over-heating from the relentless sun, but their spirits had been high as the team had improved monumentally, and (aside from it having more than made up for any irritation felt due to excessively high body temperature), the kuniochi was beginning to be convinced that this mission might just be successful after all.

They'd spent almost the entire morning working on their formation and teamwork – Sakura had even gone so far as to put herself in Kakashi's shoes and think like him as she attempted to put her near-decade's worth of knowing the man to good use to think of the most tricky (and irritating) teamwork related tasks.

It had taken longer than she might have liked, but eventually, they came together and began to work effectively with each other and so, by mid-to-late afternoon, she dismissed them to go gather their tools and rest, ready for departure at dawn the next day – Kumo was no short distance, after all.

She'd taken herself into Konoha, at first, to buy herself a bento for lunch before returning to the training grounds in the hope of finding a nice, secluded corner in which to rest up herself and enjoy the lingering quiet and rest in the beautiful sunlight; the recent time off had been wonderful and there was a lazy part of her that almost wanted longer – but the larger part of her wanted to get back to the field and the excitement of active duty.

She eventually settled herself beneath a large spindle tree, in the long grass, which was refreshingly cool against the warmth of sun, and she snapped apart her chopsticks and slid the lid off her box to immediately devoured a florette of broccoli. Her mind turned, whilst she chewed, to how much more relaxed she'd felt – on the whole – since returning from the Fire Temple; where once she migh- _would_ have felt extremely awkward with Sasuke, yesterday, he was just a face she hadn't seen for a long time.

It was like the Abbot had succeeded in brushing away the weight from her shoulders and it hadn't the nerve to return – despite sitting with Sasuke and even joking around (literally  _around_ , mind, rather than with, or even near) him, she hadn't felt nervous or loaded down with all of the stress that seemed to follow the Uchiha around. And that was something that she'd never previously realised that she didn't  _need_  to feel like that – which, in itself, made her feel more at rest.

Sasuke needed time to heal himself and the best thing Sakura could do, was to make it clear that, whilst she was more than prepared to help him and be an impartial friend or even just company for a few hours, she couldn't solve his problems, nor should she. Team 7 had their own lives, ultimately, Sasuke had been away so long that they'd grown up in their own ways which – after having spent so long and ached so much for his sake, they needed something separate from him to turn themselves to, every now and then – and whether he liked it or not, Sasuke had no bearing on it.

The Uchiha had no place in that part of their lives – and he most likely never would again.

She quickly finished her lunch and then quaffed half of her peach juice before reclining right back onto her elbows (as well as sipping the last of her drink at a more leisurely pace), she looked up to the leaves overhanging above, to enjoy the quite corner and welcome weather… before the stress of a flamboyant Raikage.

 

* * *

 

"You wished to see me Tsunade-sama?"

"Kakashi, yes," The Hokage, quickly finished scribbling something down on a sheet of paper which she handed to Shizune before turning to the nin in front of her, "I've got a mission for you, A-rank, to Iwagakure – this is a more diplomatic mission than anything, unfortunately, there's a dispute between two of the Lords which each have control of a number of Earth affiliated ninja. Apparently, there are many Rock nin who were impressed by you during the Fourth War and they trust you to act as a neutral party to help them resolve their issues."

"Ah… Tsunade-sama, I'm not a negotiator nor a politician, wouldn't it make more sense to send one of the councillors? Or ninja who specialise in foreign relations?"

"No, they've requested you specifically – they know you and won't accept anyone else, this could go a long way to improving relations with Iwa, even  _after_  everything that's happened, they still don't like even attempting to forge alliances beyond what absolutely necessary to prevent open conflict, but this just might form another tie to help stabilise things." Tsunade explained and Kakashi sighed,

" _Everything_  could always 'be another tie', but as soon as they've gotten what they want, they'll kick me out and slam the door shut on any friendly relations, just like always,"

"Possibly…but I suspect they've also realised that Uzushio is back on the map and that we've been in discussions them,"

"…How much would you like to divulge?"

"As long as you don't give away just what state the current Uzu is in, or the level their nin are at – or, if you have to, embellish it a little, but I think you can let them know the gist of what's happening – it could prove to be a useful tool in getting them to cooperate, if you play the cards right. Although, I normally wouldn't say this, but I'm sending Sakura and a team out to Kumogakure to speak with the Raikage, again a pretence is being used of needing assistance with their medics, but I'm more than willing to bet that he wants to know about Uzu."

Kakashi frowned, "Who're you sending with her?"

"A team of Chuunin, they're very well rounded in all skills and another medic among them."

"You're not sending Naruto, Yamato or Sai with her?" Kakashi clarified,

"She doesn't need a guard dog, Kakashi, I'm confident that they'll be able to handle anything; but you might want to liaise with her about just what you're saying, I want to present a united front to all the nations about what we're doing, we can't present two different stories."

"Of course…"

"I'll be sending you as a team of three, Genma and Raidou will go with you and I've already given them the gist, on the understanding you can more fully brief them a little later, but that's more for the sake of appearances… well, that, and I'm not comfortable sending  _anyone_  into Rock alone." She fixed him with a pointed stare, well aware of the objections Kakashi might try to use,

"Understood, Tsunade-sama." Luckily, he didn't bother.

"Here are the finer details, and you might want to catch up with Sakura sooner rather than later – she'll be leaving early tomorrow."

"Hai,"

"Dismissed… and good luck." Kakashi offered a small nod of acknowledgement and disappeared in a puff of smoke, letting out a silent breath of exasperation as soon as he was alone; he flipped open his copy of  _Taktikusu_  as cover, whilst he wandered in search of the kuniochi. He had to admit, he didn't trust Cloud. They could be frighteningly unpredictable at times and the Raikage was an arrogant man who never hesitated to do as what pleased him if he thought it would be of use to him or his country, and Sakura was too valuable an asset to be lost.

He didn't exactly relish to going to Iwa himself, he'd only been there one before and it had given him a chill to be in the village – it was as cold and unfeeling as most of the people who heralded from it; it would be a long mission, possibly even months, if the stubbornness of the Rock nin persisted, and he didn't like negotiation missions either – too much farting around with pointless ceremony, where, on occasion, a swift dose of brute force might just as well do the job. And be much more satisfying.

Kakashi grinned in amusement as he stared down at the kuniochi asleep beneath the tree, he dropped down beside her, counting the seconds before she reacted; he reached forward, with the intent to tap her haitai-ate when her hand shot up to grip his wrist,

"What do you want?"

"You shouldn't sleep outside, Sakura-chan, you might catch a cold."

She cracked an eye open and stared at him, "…You haven't forgotten I'm a medic, have you?"

He sat back as she lifted herself to a sitting position, covering the yawn that escaped her, "I hear you're on a mission tomorrow, to Cloud."

"Where did you hear that?" He asked innocently, apparently unable to resist his reflex to divert and dissemble.

"Tsunade-sama, I've been sent on a mission of my own, which the Hokage suspects has a subtext much like yours – Uzu."

"Aah."

"And, apparently, an equal and persistent suspicion. She wants us to keep in contact throughout, just in case questions of Uzu crop up, we need to be telling the same story; I'll send Pakkun with you, and you can pass on any queries through him." Kakashi said,

"That'll create a serious time-lag."

He grinned, "He might be little, but he's a fast runner,"

"…Are you heading out with a team?"

"Yes, with Genma and Raidou,"

"Ah, lucky,"

"I hear you're being sent with a few Chuunin."

She could almost  _see_  the disapproval in his voice, "Right, though I have to admit, I was happy to not be going with Naruto, he'd have said everything that we should patently  _should not_  be telling Kumo and then driven me crazy with his attempts to rap with 'Killa Bee'," She rolled her eyes as Kakashi let out a breath of laughter,

"I suppose that is something to be grateful for." 

Sakura moved to lie back again, folding her arms behind her head, "I guess we're going to be gone for quite a while, do you think Wazishi-san will make a decision in that time?"

"It's hard to say… Gerimaru will probably leave to return to Uzu no Kuni in a few days and knowing them they'll probably spend some time debating it." Kakashi leant back himself, resting more fully against the tree Sakura had previously been sat next to, as he grinned wickedly beneath his mask, "And maybe Gerimaru has to make plans for his  _wedding_  after all. My, my Sakura, you're certainly trusting to allow him to plan it all,"

"Oh, shut up!"

"Ha ha ha!"

"I can't say I want to ever get married at all, let alone to a man like Gerimaru, and anyway, I thought you agreed that he was being ridiculous in his claims to want to marry me." She shot him a dark look from beneath her eyelashes as Kakashi – very irritatingly – merely offered a raised of his eyebrow,

"Did I? I don't remember that. But what's wrong with Gerimaru? Why not a guy like him?"

"Too idiotic… and not good looking enough."

"That's shallow of you, Sakura-chan." He rebutted and she tutted loudly at this,

"I didn't say looks was  _all_  I went by, I just said it was a factor… besides, you wouldn't consider looks at all when considering a woman to date?"

"Who said I date women?"

"Fine,  _men_ , then?" She corrected, irritated by his deflection; he stared at her strangely for a few moments, until she sighed and Kakashi was satisfied her line of questioning had run its cours-wait, she accepted that he was gay that easily? Hold on, he wasn't, he just said that to be annoying,

"I'm not gay, you know."

She seemed not to hear him or care; "Maybe its those fish-lips of yours that are responsible for your perspective…" He seemed to appreciate her comment as little as the number of teeth she was showing, "But I have to say, you're sounding a lot like a gossiping teenage girl, Kakashi," It was his turn to frown irritatedly, he didn't relish the thought of sounding like a girl  _at all_ , let alone one in their teenage years; he just about resisted a shudder, best to deflect this one, he thought, momentarily pursing his lips at the fact she had her eyes closed – apparently not caring for his discomfort,

"What should I sound like then?"

"Like Kakashi-sensei, a man who couldn't care less what our personal interests were."

"I always cared, Sakura."

"So is that why you always looked so incredibly bored whenever we regaled you with tales about our adventures beyond the confines of Team 7?" She rolled her eyes a little as the Copy Nin grinned but allowed them to lapse into silence as a slight wind ruffled their hair, Kakashi allowed a breath of laughter to escape as a sudden memory struck him,

"What?"

"Why don't you want to marry?" There was a trace of genuine interest in his voice, but something told Sakura he wasn't going to explain what he'd found so amusing; still, she humoured him.

"Oh please, it's not exactly the best idea with the career I have is it? Besides, what's wrong with being single? I couldn't help but think it would impact too much on my being kuniochi and I wouldn't want to have to feel I had to give it up because of what someone else thinks I should."

"Shouldn't the one you marry accept you for who you are?"

"So they say… but I wonder at that, sometimes."

"What about children?"

"Yuck! As a medic, I see the  _reality_  of children - childbirth - more so than most, I think... until it's too late, of course."

"Heh, that's probably true." It wasn't easy to image Sakura as someone's wife or as a mother, it wasn't something he particularly wanted to imagine either, it seemed restrictive and very unnatural, "Well, I'm certainly pleased you still play such an active role in the field. I was almost worried for a time you might give it up to work only in the hospital."

She offered him a sly grin, "Please, you didn't think that lowly of me, did you?"

"I didn't mean it like that."

"I know, and I don't think I could ever really give up field work. I think being around you and Naruto so much, one couldn't help but learn to have a love for being right in the thick of things," She sat up and slowly stretched her arms above her head before she found her feet, as did Kakashi, when she cocked her head slightly, he supplied a brief,

"I'll walk you back to yours and summon Pakkun there."

"All right," They wandered slowly off towards the centre of Konoha,

"I saw you training, yesterday." He said,

"I know."

"What?"

"You didn't hide your chakra until you saw me."

"Aah,"  _Damn_ , "Well anyway, you certainly seem to have those three Chuunin whipped."

She turned her head slowly towards her former sensei, looking distinctly unimpressed about something, "They're useless to me otherwise; since I'm a medic, they seem to think I'm therefore  _not_  a ninja."

"Hmm… I don't like the sound of that,"

Sakura giggled lightly, offering a mischievous grin; "You know, at first,  _we_  thought that because you seemed like an old man, you weren't a ninja," A rather sizable sweat drop appeared on the side of Kakashi's head,

"I'm so glad I could win your respect,"

"Hahah… don't worry, I think they just need a chance to see me in action, like we did you, before they can appreciate that I am a ninja – and a decent one at that."

"You're a little more than 'decent'; but there's more to it, you were children then, they aren't and should have long gone beyond the need for 'proof' when it comes to superior officers."

"We'll be fine… Kumo are allies, after all."

"Tentative ones, you should be more shrewd, Sakura-chan." Kakashi said. The honorific was back, Sakura noted, effectively telegraphing his displeasure.

"Don't confuse my composure for a lack of awareness; there's a difference between understanding a risk and being panicked by it."

"Of course I realise that, but Kumo have proven themselves to be unpredictable – much like the Raikage, and I hate the thought of you heading out with a half-assed team who're more concerned with boosting their own egos than protecting their teammate."

"Don't worry  _sensei_ , I know how to handle myself."

"I'm not your sensei any longer, Sakura," Why did that sound so…  _wrong_  now? "And you know I don't doubt that your abilities,"

"Yeah, yeah…" They made their way back down the street, easily dodging the milling civilians, "But if there really is a medical crisis in Kumo, then it would be to their advantage to help me, I'm sure they can spare some hot young nin to help out." Kakashi's silvery brows couldn't help but furrow at that,

"I thought you didn't want to get married."

Sakura, however, outright guffawed at this comment, "Ha ha ah! Good God, Kakashi, if a bit of flirting has you talking about marriage then no wonder you're single!" He wasn't impressed with this, "But frankly, there's no harm in a spot of eye-candy." Kakashi's furrowed eyebrows deepened further still, an uncomfortable anger striking him at the thought of someone eyeing  _her_  up like a piece of meat… or even she doing it to someone else,

"Don't you take such things seriously anymore? But besides that, you shouldn't allow yourself to become distracted by such trivial things."  _Was Kakashi worried?_

Sakura shrugged lightly, as she turned down a side alley, "Don't worry, Kakashi, I know how to multi-task, besides, it's not as if there's anything  _to_  take seriously in the first few days." She laughed flippantly, accurately guessing it would annoy him; a sudden hand appeared in front of her, slapping into the wall beside her and forcing her to stop dead, the kuniochi twisted slightly as her back met the wall as Kakashi stepped in front of her,

"Sakura, promise me you won't do something stupid like allowing yourself to be distracted by…  _boys!_ " The return glower she sent was just as obvious (and chilling) in the deep shadows of the alley as it would be in broad daylight;

"And here you were just  _pretending_  to tell me how much faith you had in me." She couldn't help but prod,

"I do."

It wasn't until Sakura felt the slight plume of warm breath on her chin that she realised he was inching closer, "Sound more like you're full of hot air." A terse moment of silence passed between them, neither willing to break the sudden expanse.

He inexplicably found himself jerking his chin forward, his hands still firmly on the wall either side of her head as he pressed his lips to hers, surprised to find that barely a second passed before she returned the pressure and he was trying to keep up with the pace she set, constantly pressing just a little closer before drawing back. All too quickly she pulled away completely, leaving him utterly unsatisfied – but it was a teasing frustration.

One that made him want more and it was beyond tempting to return his lips to precisely where they had been seconds before – firmly against Sakura's to try and ease the sudden, hot need that coursed through him; the urge not helped in the slightest by the mischievous smirk playing on them. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He'd acted completely on impulse as he couldn't allow the silence to last any longer and said-

"No fish-lips." …What in  _Kami-sama's_  name was his problem?  _That_ was the first thing that sprung to his mind to say after they'd just inexplicably kissed? Was he  _thirteen_?

"…Maybe."  _Damn that smirk_ , "But it was hard to tell with that mask in the way." She gently pressed her hands to his chest and pushed him aside as her feet guided her away from him, looking frustratingly cool and unfazed for the fact Kakashi's heart couldn't seem to remember how to beat properly at all… what  _was_  wrong with him? Kissing a woman he valued as his friend and teammate? One fourteen years his junior? Because he was irritated with her damnable glib attitude that he hadn't been able to get around all afternoon?

And the kiss was one as chaste as was possible… _through his mask_ …and it had him breathless and as though he'd just run half-way across the Fire country? Haa… he'd been fooled by the sudden side to her that he didn't recognise – one that, as he stupidly focused on how alluring he found it – had allowed himself to think of her as someone other his former student and  _completely unavailable_ woman.

_Kuso!_  He ran a hand thought his hair and sighed heavily as he leapt up to the rooftops and sped back to his home – he was a damned idiot, but the only shred of hope he could cling to, was that maybe the time apart on their respective missions would be just what they'd need for things to get back to normal and for Kakashi to straighten out his frame of mind.

A faltered step, that was all, and by the time they even got started on their missions, it would probably be out of their minds – really there was nothing to worry about… maybe it would just be something they could have a laugh about over just how ridiculous it was, once they'd put some distance between themselves and the heat of the moment.

So why was he still so aware of the feel of Sakura's lips on his own? Why did he so keenly feel the loss of her body near his? And why did he still feel like he wanted to chase after her and claim a second and infinitely more satisfying kiss that  _he_  would damn well take charge of, this time?

..

.


	19. It Takes A Man To Suffer Ignorance And Smile

 

 

Sakura awoke to a scratching and snuffling sound at her bedroom window,

"Huh… Pakkun?" She squinted at the light as she crawled out from under her covers and peeled back the curtains to see the little pug clinging to her window sill; he looked grumpy. The kuniochi slid back the window and allowed him to come in,

"About damn time! You sleep like the dead, you know!"

"Huh? Why are you-oh yes, sorry;"

"Aren't you supposed to be alert and ready?"

"Ugh, I didn't sleep well, last night."

"No kidding, Kakashi didn't either, he  _looked_  like the dead, what the hell happened? Did someone burn down the publishing house for  _Icha Icha_?"

Despite herself, she couldn't help but laugh though the rest of his sentence soon struck her, "Kakashi didn't sleep?"

"Didn't look like it, he seemed grumpy too. Do you know what happened? He's normally pretty quick in the morning, though I liked his new house! When did he move in?" It never occurred to her that Pakkun had a short attention span,

"Uh, little over a month ago," Maybe that said attention span could work to her advantage to avoid saying anything about the day previous; it had actually taken a while to sink in, after the adrenaline (that had given her such confidence at the time) had worn off, to think Kakashi had kissed her. Kakashi, her former  _sensei_ … she even began to wonder if he'd suffered heat-stroke or something equally ridiculous – the man had seemed so flustered, it was so unlike him;

"I'll be ready in a few moments, thanks, Pakkun," He merely shook himself as she wandered away to her bathroom after having collected up her clothes; she returned feeling refreshing and more awake to find the little pug snoozing on her duvet, she decided to allow him to rest for the time being as she made a last check over her equipment, both shinobi and medical as well as her route for the stages through the adjoining countries of Hot Springs, Frost and Hot Water; she sighed as she thought back to when she'd last been to that part of the continent – during the Fourth War. She desperately found herself hoping that her journey through such lands would be, on the whole, on a more positive note than that of warfare.

"All right, you guys have everything you need?" The kuniochi asked as she appeared beside the main gate out of Konoha and in front of the three Chuunin, the youngest being twenty and the eldest a few months younger than herself, though still at 23, she resisted her own lingering reservations at the fact they all still held a cocky undertone.

It wasn't much, but enough for Sakura to worry that she might have to waste time and energy on giving orders of a more subtle logic. The medic, the youngest of the three was fairly skilled; if he had a tendency to jump to conclusions, he was more than skilled in the technical side of medicine – he could perform a  _daikoudan no jutsu_  like nobody's business, but a medic was useless without the wisdom to know how (and when) to apply it – and Akeyou Ikori was a just a touch trigger-happy. Which was probably why he was still just a Chuunin.

"Hai, Taichou," They all chorused back, looking thoroughly irritated, though the medic seemed to notice the small pug by her feet,

"Sakura-Taichou…what's with that dog? And how does it know how to wear a haitai-ate?" Pakkun frowned at this,

"I'm a ninken, mister! Smarter than just any  _dog_  – and you, apparently."

"Hey–!"

"All right, all right, let's just get going, we've got four days of travelling before we get to Kumo and I want to get to the Yu/Hi [Hot Spring/Fire] border by the end of today," She tightened the straps on her backpack as she pointed to Uruki, "You take point, then Ikori-kun, then me and Shinji, you last," Uruki nodded and shot off, hotly followed by the rest of the team; their pace was swift and their feet light.

 

* * *

 

"Hatake Kakashi? We welcome you to Iwagakure," Their aide was tall, frighteningly thin and had beady little eyes that seemed to struggle to peer out from above the hollow of his cheeks; he eyed Genma and Raidou suspiciously, "We expected you would bring lackeys with you and we prepared room for them, please follow me," He turned on his heel and appeared to glide away – the length of his coat obscuring his feet and their steps; Kakashi shared a quick look with Genma who raised an eyebrow at the prickliness of the man. They kept up with him, however, as they were lead through the twisting corridors of the spacious, but surprisingly dark building,

"You will have restrictions which we expect you to completely adhere to; you may not freely wander the village, you will be escorted to the meeting room at the appropriate time and back again here. There is a courtyard a few levels up where you may practice your taijutsu, but you must not practice nin or genjutsu. Meals will be brought to you here as you absolutely may  _not_  leave the premises unaccompanied by myself or one of two other specially designated advisors," The guide gently came to a halt in front of a door, which might have seemed completely at random, were it not for the unnatural deliberateness that swathed each movement.

Their aide, who'd yet to introduce himself, opened the door and walked through first, before holding it open for the rest of the three, and as they walked through, it became immediately obvious that he wasn't kidding about their restricted movements. It was mostly like a small sort of apartment, with a kotatsu and zabuton as well as a another fusuma – presumably to their bedrooms, was across from them; there were three small windows in the room, which allowed a lot of light in, but their size made it feel claustrophobic and to the Leaf nin, who were used to the 'outside-in' approach to architecture in Konoha, extremely cramped.

Stood in the room, were two others, dressed in a similar, formal style to the first although they were in a more blue-patterned tunic, to the first's deep purple hue; they were not so imposingly tall and looked to be of a more healthy bodyweight.

 

"Now we shall introduce ourselves, I am Ashikino Peikou and I will be your primary aide, more specifically to you Hatake-san, as I will be briefing you on everything you need to know about the negotiations. But if any of you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask." His words might have been kind, but his voice held no warmth or sincerity that one might have otherwise expected. He gestured to the man next to him, "This is Taneki Riro,"

Said second aide, who was much older than Peikou, and had a very characterful face, apparently he was quick to smile and not shy of it; "I will be happy to help in any way I can, as I will be brining you meals and will resolve any problems you may have with your accommodation." Kakashi gave a small nod of acknowledgement as attention turned to the final, third assistant,

"Sarekita Washin, I too will be providing what assistance I can in regard to your negotiations, along-side Ashikino-san, and I will be briefing you on what background or historical information you may need to be aware of." Kakashi smiled in return and gestured to his two comrades beside him,

"And these are  _my_  aides, who I will keep with me at all times, Shiranui Genma," Said man tipped his head lightly by way of greeting, "And Namiashi Raidou," The ever stern looking bodyguard apparently felt none of the compulsion to crack a smile as Genma had, but he nodded his head nonetheless.

"Well, now that the introductions are complete, I think we should get to work; however I have some duties to attend to first, and some documentation to collect, so you will have an hour to rest; Taneki-san, please make them some tea." Peikou said,

"Hai, Ashikino-san."

"Well, we'll leave you for the time being," All three aides bowed slightly, Peikou the most slight of all, as they stepped out of the door, as soon as it closed,

Genma let out a breath, "Whoo, they're not formal or anything are they?"

Kakashi snorted lightly as he stepped over to slide back the opposite fusuma, indeed leading to a large secondary room, (containing another kotatsu and some zabuton) off of which, again were another four fusumas, one was a bathroom and the others were small rooms, presumably for them to sleep in. Kakashi sighed lightly as he dropped his pack from his shoulders and down to the floor, before he returned to the main space and peeked out of the window.

It gave a pretty good view of the centre of Iwa, and there were plenty of people milling around, both civilians and shinobi; it struck Kakashi as odd at just how secretive they were being. Restrictions weren't unusual, especially for less-than-friendly visitors, but for them to be practically frog-marched from the gate and locked up seemed a bit severe …but that said, he hadn't been fully briefed yet, perhaps there was more than what they were saying? It would have to be pretty damn serious.

"Kakashi-Taichou, do you think we should be concerned over their tenseness? I would have thought that we would have met with the Tsuchikage and have heard his input as to the situation." Raidou ventured,

"I'm not sure and I think we'll need to wait to see how much they brief us on before we can make any accurate sort of guess as to their actions. I'm not sure either why the Tsuchikage has been so hidden… but after the Fourth War, Iwa was hit pretty hard and they had to change the set-up of their ninja and the role of the Tsuchikage to make ends meet, so it is possible that he'd already made a decision for what he can and it no longer involves him." Kakashi sighed again as he stepped away from the window, "I'm going to shower quickly before they return."

 

* * *

 

"Ikori-kun, you go with Midori-san and help her out with those patients who are in the secondary medical building; Neru-kun, you and Uruki-kun you stand by for now until I've had time to assess the illness itself and how widespread it is. I'm going to head to the worst-affected wards, the both you make sure  _you stay well away from the quarantined rooms!_ " They both looked irritated at being inadvertently called 'stupid',

"Hai, Sakura-Taichou,"

"I'll check back in with you in a few hours," With that, Sakura snapped surgical gloves onto her hands and marched down the open, empty hallway, Pakkun was still at her feet and keeping close, but out of the way; she was too swiftly followed by one of the young nurses who was assigned to assist her, Nakou Senri; he was a little older than herself,

"Nakou-san, please tell me everything that you know about this epidemic." They passed through a set of double doors, heavily warmed with indications of quarantine;

"Please Haruno-san, just call me Senri; and the first diagnosis of this illness was approximately three weeks ago, four people from a convoy travelling into the Kumogakure from one of the smaller towns, came down with fever and vomiting as well as some very unusual rashes. Three of the four who were initially diagnosed have died from their sickness, the fourth is alive but has slipped into a coma and we expect him to die soon, unless of course you are able to help us."

"How may subsequent people have been diagnosed? How many more have died?"

"We're getting more and more admissions each day, we have had about forty more admissions for this illness – we have had a mortality rate of fifteen to twenty per cent – but most of those have been children, and those already ill. The symptoms take from three to five days to fully manifest."

"What did those infected from the convoy do and where did they go before they were admitted to hospital?" Sakura pushed open a second door, leading her to a large room with some ten patients in, "Excuse me," The kuniochi began, quickly gaining the attention of the two medics in the room, "I am Haruno Sakura, a medical nin from Konoha, here to assist you with your patients – who is in charge, here?"

"Um," Senri began from just behind her, "That would be Yuukori Hiro-sensei, the director of the hospital, who is currently working further down the hall on some of the other more critical patients,"

"Take me to him," The young nurse nodded and turned on his heel, scuttling out of the doorway, Sakura was quite aware of how she tended to get when on a mission (particularly of a medicinal nature), but now was not the time to care whether she trod on peoples' toes. Incidentally, it was in precisely this way that Sakura and "Inner Sakura" had merged more into one complete persona, rather than tow-sides-of-the-same-coin, that they were in her (or maybe their) younger years – whereas now, her inner easily gave Sakura the confidence to take charge and bark orders when push came to shove.

 

"Yuukori-sensei!" He was a middle aged man (with a moustache so prolific it could probably house a few species yet to be identified by science), but he had a characterful face and an aura of comfortable authority; he turned and paused just long enough for the two to walk up to him and Senri to get his next words out, "This is Haruno Sakura-san, she's the medic nin from Konoha,"

"Oh! That's right, come with me and I'll brief you on the way; Senri-kun, go and check with Yamada-hakase if he is ready with the pathology report for my patient in quarantine sector 4, Jiko-san, if so bring it to me,"

"Hai, Yuukori-sensei,"

"Now, Sakura-san, we have one patient left from the initial diagnosis, and I've had pathology reports ordered on all of them to try and determine if it is the same illness attacking them all. There are a lot of symptoms that resemble bacterial meningitis, but there are a few odd things that I've never seen before – most notably, a nasty rash that forms over the neck and back which is a dark purple-black in colour with yellow dots; other symptoms have been fever, vomiting – some with blood in, as well as shortness of breath, severe migraines, delirium," Sakura frowned as they stepped into a second ward, again with some ten patients in, all appeared to be asleep or otherwise unconscious;

"Have you determined the method of transmission?" Sakura asked, walking up to the closest patient and pulling back the blanket covering him to see the sores and rash Yuukori had mentioned covering his neck and shoulders,

"We think that simple exposure is enough to transmit the infection, though being coughed on by an infected person is a more likely method." Yuukori-sensei explained. Sakura nodded as she gently manipulated the man on the bed, opening his mouth to look at the colour of his his tongue and gums, shining a light into his eyes to check his pupil dilation response time as well as a few other cursory examinations before Doctor Yuukori helped Sakura to turn him over so as to get a better look at his back.

"How long were the initial patients in town for before they were brought to hospital and what were they doing in Kumo? Where had they come from? Senri-san mentioned a small border village?"

"Right, Kumo holds a bi-weekly market, they arrived early that morning, apparently remained until the next morning when they discovered four of their company were too sick to travel," Sakura frowned, a market was probably the worst place for someone with a highly contagious illness to be; she pressed her hand to the man's forehead as she rolled him onto his back again.

"Yuukori-sensei!" Senri returned, handing a large folder to the elder man, "Here is Jiko-san's pathology report,"

"Good," He flipped open the page to look at the analysis, "Hmm, this is concerning; Sakura-san, there seems to be an unusually low count of white blood cells and high levels of and as-yet unidentified strain of bacteria as well as a build-up of anoins and cations in the blood stream - most likely the illness is worst affecting the liver and kidneys," The kuniochi probed her chakra into the man's system, making a bee-line to the organs, upon hearing Yuukori's words, finding that those organs were badly struggling.

 

"Sakura-san?" Senri, ventured, "What are you doing?"

"I'm just checking his vitals and there is a serious cause for concern here. Please have blood samples taken from all of the patients suspected of having contracted the illness and prepare pathology reports from them all – paying close attention to what bacteria has been found in their blood streams. Then take tissue samples from the kidneys, liver, gall bladder and run the same analyses."

"H-Hai, Sakura-san," Senri nodded and scuttled away to do as she asked, leaving Yuukori looking at her strangely,

"What were you doing?"

"I can use my chakra to probe the major organs of a patient as a preliminary exam,"

"…That's not possible."

"No, it's not for most medics, only those of a high training pedigree. May I?" She held a hand out to the report, which Yuukori slowly handed over, looking somewhat sceptical of the kuniochi; as she engrossed herself in the report, the door of the ward opened and another man walked in, his gait slow and lazy, but with confidence – or perhaps apathy.

"Yuukori-san? We've had another three admissions, suspected to be the same illness," He eyed Sakura through heavy lids, whose head shot up at the sound of his words,

"How long ago were they admitted? What symptoms were they displaying?" She cut across, earning a raised eyebrow from the man,

"Vomiting, dizziness, confusion and a high fever mostly."

"What tests have you run to diagnose them?"

"Who are you?" The man asked, ignoring her question,

Yuukori cut across, "The Konoha medic Senri-kun recommended we contact,"

" _Ah_ ," She didn't like the sound of that – or the tone with which Yuukori explained, although she couldn't figure out just  _what_  sort of tone it was;

"Sakura-san, this is Dai-san,"

"Pleased to me you," She bowed her head slightly and he lethargically returned the gesture before turning to lead them away towards the patients he mentioned –  _what seems so familiar about him?_

  

The next few hours passed in nearly a blur for Sakura, between the suspicious looks of many of the senior staff – most of whom apparently must have thought they were being challenged by Sakura, and who thought she was just some upstart that was trying to prove something. It was beyond irritating and the kuniochi had to check her urge to break a few noses more than once; the day had been  _long_  and for every decision she made or order she issued, she had to discuss and debate it… with everyone except Senri-kun.

He was the only one who trusted her and accepted what she had to say, by following the orders or requests she made of him without complaint – and Sakura was beyond grateful for it, he was the only one tolerable in that hospital, and more than once she'd found herself sharing a joke with him. Senri was fairly shy and of a modest temperament, but was quick witted and good company in a large hospital full of suspicious and unfriendly strangers, his presence made her work – which he seemed fascinated by – seem less unyielding. So much so, that she had almost expected bad news from her subordinate who walked up to her, just as she had taken a few minutes breather from treating her last patients, having found an identical 'pattern of attack' in each of them.

"C'mon Sakura-Taichou, I'll show you to our quarters – dinner is there, too."

"Oh," In her haste to provide treatment for her patients, she'd given no thought whatsoever to the situation of their lodgings, "What's the meal?"

"Unagi [grilled eel] with plain rice and nori [seaweed] and rolled omelette."

"Ugh," Sakura couldn't quite resist the grimace in time, "I  _hate_  eel," Just the thought of the slimy, gross taste and texture was enough to make her want to retch… thankfully, living in central Fire meant that she didn't even have to so much as  _look_  at a dead eel (or even a live one), much less ingest one in the name of "nutrition".

"Haha, you'll learn to love it, Taichou…they eat eel with eel, here!" Ikori laughed, earning a string of muttered curses from the kuniochi as they walked through the streets, escorted by two Kumo nin on the way to their quarters, the village had long since lulled to the ease normal before the night. Dinner was as disgusting as she predicted – managing to choke down half of the sea creature on sheer hunger alone, though she didn't feel much better as a the lack of satisfaction that came with eating something she didn't like, persisted,  _at least the rice was well cooked_ , she conceded as she slowly chewed the last of the fish, forcing herself to ignore the gruesome texture – Sakura wasn't sure how to feel: if she was forced to eat a meal she hated every day because of her errand of mercy, was it a good thing that she would be liable to be so exhausted after each day that she wouldn't be paying as much attention to it as normal?

She sighed lightly as they were eventually done with dinner and adjourned back to their quarters, where she debriefed her teammates for everything that had happened and provided them with some general orders for the next few days whilst she worked at the hospital; apparently, Ikori had faced a similar state of affairs at the secondary medical centre, though he was being given a great deal to do in simply providing care – which was something he grumbled at, wishing he had a more "cool" role rather than something so passive.

"Don't be so idiotic, you're not a medic if you're too busy trying to look good rather than save the life of your patient," Sakura had chastised; they'd continued talked for almost an hour before they turned in and, for the first time since she'd left her home a few days previously, she breathed a large sigh of relief at having some time to herself.

As she showered and readied herself for bed, her mind turned once more to thoughts of Kakashi and her mind immediately supplied her with the memory of the feel of his lips on hers. Although she couldn't quite fight the blush from it, a very tiny part of her took a shred of comfort in just thinking about him – she hadn't even consciously acknowledged that she felt insecure or uneasy in any sense, but, as was so very typical of the man, he seemed to calm an unvoiced need just by being there. And as her eyelids drooped, she allowed herself to more fully relax to the warm feelings that pervaded from the memory of being sat with Kakashi, beneath the spindle tree on that warm afternoon just before she left - she found herself looking forward to setting eyes on him again.

 

* * *

 

Kakashi resisted the urge to sigh as he heard the murmur of agreement between the Lords that they should hold negotiations there for the day and reconvene tomorrow; the day had been long, boring and incredibly stuffy (both of the air and of the egos within the room). Kakashi had paid as much attention as he needed to, which, unfortunately was not 100% - the Lords' complaints had been childish at best and downright selfish at worst, and still,  _still_  after three days they were at the explaining stage. (And now that Kakashi had calmed a little – away from the guarded travel to Iwa and the uncertainty of being a guest of 'just about allies', Kakashi's mind turned to pressing matters of its own: Sakura.)

He hadn't been able to keep his mind away from thinking about her and the kiss they'd shared… or maybe it would be more accurate to say the kiss that _she_  had shared with him; he still felt in a way cheated at how she'd so easily taken control and teasingly taken what she could, while he seemed frozen. He couldn't pretend that he didn't want more – a more satisfying kiss – but there were so many arguments pushing him that told him how stupid it was, how much of a bad idea it was, and how much he was just being an idiot.

But none of those arguments – either the rhetoric or the ultimate reasons why – had any impact on what the basis of his concern was: he  _enjoyed_  kissing Sakura, despite the fact he wasn't completely satisfied with it, and it wasn't (just) a perverse sense of enjoyment he derived, something about it felt  _right_. It didn't seem odd or wrong to be that close to her, there was something that felt entirely natural… or rather, it  _would_  do so, were he not feeling like an idiot for having gotten so worked up over her playing games with him; she had been  _his student_ , how could he possibly have been so off guard by her display of maturity and comfortable authority?  _Haa, I've over thinking this again…_  He rose to his feet with the rest of the mediating table,

"Hatake-san, we hope that you can think over everything that you have heard today and begin to set out some preliminary agreements for tomorrow." Peikou spoke in a low whisper, but one which did not seem like he was specifically attempted to hide his voice,

"Ashikino-san, I still feel that it is beyond the scope of my responsibilities to actually  _be_  the one to set restrictions or approve of demands, but rather, to help the sides to mutually acknowledge the necessary compromises – that way they'll be far more likely to actually stick to them once I've left." Kakashi replied, keeping his voice even, Ashikino narrowed his eyes,

"And just how likely to do you think that is, Hatake-san?" Kakashi's eye almost twitched at the aide's tone of voice, and wanted to reply,  _'With the same attitude as yours, not very,'_  but he forced himself to check his words;

"Since the first step was taken in even opening negotiations – and going so far as to call me in – I think that there is still a good chance. And the more we work to make the Lords solve the problems themselves, civilly, then the less likely it is you'll find yourselves in a similar position a few months, or a year down the line." Peikou's eyes narrowed even further (until Kakashi almost doubted he could even  _see_  out any longer) as he jutted his chin in the tiniest of movements, easily telegraphing his affront,

"It is the Lords who have a problem, not us." He replied at length. This gave Kakashi cause to raise an eyebrow,  _'us'? 'They'?_

"…I see,"

 

Peikou turned on his heel, at this, and glided away, following after where the Lords had gone, which Kakashi did himself although slower; the journey back to his quarters was dry, but the only real time he got to spend outside – so he took from it what he could. The sun was still burning, despite the fact it was long into the afternoon, as Kakashi continued his easy gait with his hands in his pockets, his mind turned to the fact he hadn't heard anything from Sakura yet – he supposed that it wasn't unusual, and it was highly unlikely that anything should have been mentioned yet, and if they really did have an epidemic, then they're probably want to make as much use of her ability as possible before they even  _suggest_  something which might create any tension.

He relaxed slightly at the thought that Pakkun was with her; she would surely contact him if and when it became necessary. Apparently someone must have read his mind, for Raidou appeared beside him, with a little pug by his feet,

"Pakkun was at the gate… they're suspicious,"

The Copy Nin's eyebrows rose a little, "Pakkun?" He eyed the heavily panting - and apparently worn out - little dog;

"Hai. I was called to decide to allow him to pass on a message or not."

"I told them to expect communiques from Konoha through my ninken."

"I know, Taichou, and I explained that to them again, but they still didn't like it."

"One of those damn ninja tried to pick me up!" The dog complained loudly as he trotted by their ankles,

"You had a long journey, I take it, Pakkun?"

"You've no idea. And Sakura woke me up from a nap to send me out, too." Kakashi's attention spiked with the mention of the kuniochi's name,

"…How many hours a day do you spend  _not_  snoozing?" Kakashi asked with a laugh, unconsciously trying to cover over what he recognised as unusual behaviour for himself; he slipped in through the open door of the complex, finally free from the oppressive sun and dusty air. He followed behind the aide, at still precisely the same distance away as when they'd left the negotiations, as they traced their way down the halls and back towards their cel-uh, room.

"Oi! I work very hard for Sakura-chan! I think my naps are fully justified!"

"I'm sure-" Kakashi's bored rejoinder was cut off by an angry accusation by the aide in front of him,

"What are  _you_  doing here?" Kakashi stepped up to take a look at what was happening, just as he saw an elderly woman holding a large tray in her hands, upon which was a tea set;

"I am here to deliver some tea to these young gentlemen, after a hard day's work, Ashikino-san." She spoke with an ease, but a strong undercurrent of uncertainty,

"You are not permitted in this area,  _Urushima-san_ , there are only four people authorised into this section of the building and I can say for certain that you are  _not_  one of them," Even the contempt in his voice (which was thicker than badly made o-kayu), Kakashi hadn't missed the name mentioned; their eyes connected and for just a moment, the Copy Nin felt as though a moment of tentative understanding passed between them… but then again –

"Forgive me, but did Ashikino-san say that your name was 'Urushima'?" She nodded, bowing ever so slightly, as she opened her mouth to respond, but Peikou would hear none of it;

"Please, Hatake-san, you should not waste your time with her; return to your home and wait there, report to Tokori-san tomorrow morning, he'll decide what to do and I expect you will tell him who allowed you into the building." With that Peikou thrust his finger to point down the hall, "Now begone and have Riro-san report to me immediately," She bowed lightly again, shot one last look at Kakashi and swiftly hobbled down the hall again, as Peikou led them into their room,

"I apologise for that, it will not happen again. Please, you may rest for an hour before dinner will be brought to you; Kakashi-san, if you need any assistance in forming your agreements, Washin-san and I are at your disposal," Kakashi gaped for a moment, before he reflexively responded,

"Thank you, Ashikino-san," He bowed and turning, stiffly to slithered out of the still open door, closing it behind him.

 

"What the hell was that?" Genma's oh-so-eloquent aside almost jerked Kakashi from his panicked circling thoughts –  _Urushima, Urushima? Could she be related to my… mother?_

"Who knows." Raidou continued shrugging off his flak jacket and sandals as he wandered over to where their small, adjoined washroom was located as Kakashi's attention was once again pulled,

"Kakashi! Oi, Kakashi! I have a message from Sakura-chan!"

"Pakkun! Tell me, did you catch that woman's scent? The one who said her name was 'Urushima'?" Pakkun looked slightly confused for a moment,

"Yes, but-"

"I need you to follow her, immediately, when she returns home, come back and lead me to it,"

"But, Kakashi, Sakura-"

"Is Sakura in danger?"

"No… well, no." Pakkun spoke, taking in the urgency he could sense in his master,

"Then it can wait, go and find that woman, now!" Pakkun hesitated for only a split second before he nodded and dashed away;

"You're not thinking of following that obaa-san are you? Who was she?" Genma asked,

"Never mind." Kakashi successfully managed to distract himself and the others from querying him anymore, although he didn't miss the furtive glances Genma shot him throughout dinner, but the Copy Nin saw no purpose in acknowledging them – the quicker the meal passed and the aides had no more reason to disturb them, all the better for him. He remained on tenterhooks until Riro had taken away all of the crockery and left them be with a smile and the understanding that Kakashi preferred to work alone and would specifically request the assistance of Peikou or Washin, if he felt it necessary. Pakkun had returned shortly before dinner and had curled up, pretending to sleep throughout, but miraculously woke up as soon as the fusuma had slid closed again; Kakashi walked up to the window as he prepared to make his exit,

"Kakashi, I don't know why you seem to want to follow this old bird, but things are pretty rocky now… if Peikou discovers that you've-" Genma began looking a good deal more serious than usual,

"He won't discover it, because you'll cover for me,"

"Why is it so important?"

"It just is." Kakashi shot his friend a look, "I need to do this."

"Kakashi… the negotiations are going nowhere, and if Iwa thinks they can begin to press over Uzu - after you give them a reason to distrust us, then we'll have lost a strong bargaining chip, as well as the opportunity to quell any hostility between us."

"…I know," Was all the response Genma got before the Copy Nin pushed pasted him and slipped out into the night, with Pakkun at his heels – in search of who might just be his last remaining relative.

..

.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n – Just a little note about some of the ways of addressing someone used in this chapter, I've used what seem to be the accepted norm – for doctors to be addressed as 'sensei' – although 'hakase' literally means 'doctor' apparently its more for use in addressing/meaning 'professor' or those of a high academic expertise, which I reckon a pathologist would fit under more so than a typical MD… not that I mean anything against doctors lol.


	20. Shadows But No Substance, In The Shape Of Men

It was at times like this that Kakashi was grateful for his many years as a ninja to draw upon – Iwa was still busy, despite the late hour and he could only take two or three steps before he was forced to halt again and hide in a shadow. The village was convoluted, but well suited for fugitives to hide in, apparently, as for every main street, there seemed to be another alley that ran parallel. Kakashi followed Pakkun right across the village, and what quickly became painfully obvious to Kakashi, was the divide between the Lords and the segments of Iwa that they controlled – every few hundred meters there were signs and posters declaring that one Lord or another controlled this part of the village.

_'Any ninja who live in the Hakkou, Jurka or Riish districts, but who wish to cross into Orsha district is ordered to report it and pay the appropriate tax on their movement'_ The sign read down one side, in bold, impolite language and on the other, was written  _'Honourable citizens of Orsha district, help keep our homes tidy and streets clean – show how superior we are to our neighbours!'_

Kakashi frowned as he read between the lines – the Lords had regularly made references to 'their' districts or areas, but Kakashi had taken this to merely be a reflection on their arrogance, and  _not_  that they had, quite literally, sliced up Iwagakure… and then  _taxing_  the nin to pass between each segment? Apparently irrelevant of the reason? What twisted, upside-down world had he stumbled into? Was this why he and his team had been so tightly leashed, to make sure he wouldn't be able to see the state Iwa was in?

Pakkun trotted ahead, not detecting any presences nearby and Kakashi followed suit,

"She lives just down there," The shadows were deeper here and the Copy Nin hadn't even set eyes on anyone else for some minutes; the entire atmosphere of this district was different, there were primarily only houses lining the streets, and no shops that Kakashi's could see – were the citizens of Iwa segregated by invisible lines that they were forced to cross for simple amenities? Perhaps this was more what Peikou meant by the 'us' he'd mentioned earlier? Kakashi slipped around the final corner before flicking his eyes down to Pakkun who halted outside one of the houses; it was here that the Copy Nin halted… how could he  _not_  make it seem like he was just stalking her? This could well be awkward.

"I had a feeling you'd be here," The drawing back of the fusuma slightly captured his attention as the same elderly woman peeked out form the gap, "Please come in, you cannot be seen here," She stood aside and Kakashi slipped into the dark house; the woman led him through to a small, central room which was illuminated by a small oil lamp, "Forgive the secrecy here, Hatake-san, but I'm sure you understand."

"Certainly I do." He offered as he kneeled on a zabuton as Pakkun sat, attentively at his side, "And please, call me Kakashi, Urushima-san," She settled herself on a zabuton opposite him and studied the younger male with a small half smile on her face.

"Call me Riika, please. I did not think I would ever see you again! I never expected you to remember me."

"To be honest, I don't, but I recently came across some things of my father's that I wasn't aware existed… or had forgotten. I came across the name of my mother, Urushima Eiko…" The last of Kakashi's question went unspoken as he watched a broad smile – heavily twinged with regret – grow on her face,

"Hai, Eiko-chan was my daughter… so many years it's been! But, I certainly remember you! Hohohoo! You didn't like me from the moment you set eyes on me! As soon as I took you in my arms you started crying and would stop until Eiko took you back! She was the only one you'd ever stop crying for – not even Sakumo-chan could settle you!"

The wrinkles deepened on the elderly woman's face as she smiled broadly chuckling merrily, fond reminiscence playing clearly on her face, "Oh! I regretted so much that I couldn't return to you, after I heard that Sakumo had died! After-after the loss of my husband and only child I couldn't bear to stay alone any longer, I wanted to return to my family in Iwagakure, but the storm clouds of the Third War gathered and broke and I was trapped." The furrows deepened further still as her face turned, this time, to profound grief and sadness; "I have heard many tales of your skill and accomplishments over the years and I was pleased to hear that you had managed, but I still feel so guilty to Eiko's and Sakumo's memories for having left you behind while you were still so young!"

"Ah…Riika-san…" He wasn't even sure what to say – least of all that he couldn't imagine himself having appreciated her presence if she'd been around at that age, he would have driven her away just as he had done everyone else.

"Oh! But I'm so happy I've had the opportunity to see you again, you are my only grandchild!" He wasn't entirely sure how to respond to her – he had no memories, so to speak, so relating to her was something of an abstract concept. Eventually, he decided just to ask about what was bothering him;

"Where you aware of the tension between Ei-my mother and father and the Uchiha clan?" He asked and she averted her eyes down, as if thinking back on what she knew,

"Eiko never said much about it, but she told me what she thought she was able to… I wasn't sure why the Uchiha had such a dislike to Sakumo, but she said it was more to do with his parents than himself, that it was his chakra that put them on edge. After they began to get close, Eiko said that Sakumo allowed her to examine his chakra – and it was that that the Uchiha were interested in. She said it was also too dangerous for her to really make any proper notes or reports on her findings and hypotheses, lest they be discovered.

"I remember she came to me though, just before she left on what ended up being her last mission and saying things about how she felt so sure the Uchiha were planning on doing something, that they'd been quiet for too long. I didn't really understand at first, but it wasn't until she began to say that she needed to write things down and make some record that might be of use to you to help you defend again any Uchiha scrutiny, that I understood what she meant."

"I've read in her diary that she was worried about what the Uchiha were planning, but I never knew that she'd conducted any research into chakra."

"Her diary? It was safe all this time? I am glad to hear that, I had thought it must have fallen into unfriendly hands, but where was it?"

"In the house… I've recently moved back into it."

"Oh?" She seemed very confused by this, "You moved back in? Why did you move out? It had really survived in-tact for all these years?" He nodded,

"…After my father died, I no longer wanted to remain in that house – and I wasn't even aware that it had survived until recently, though I was certainly grateful for it," Kakashi allowed the silence to hang between them for a little while longer, before he looked back up to her, finding her smiling at him,

"I'm sorry," She supplied by way of an explanation, "I just don't want to waste this time with my grandson if I can help it. I've missed so much about your life, will you tell me? How old are you now? What's your favourite food? What insects do you hate the most? What habit do you find most annoying about others?" Kakashi found he couldn't quite fight the grin or the sudden rush of laughter that escaped him at her random questions – he couldn't help, either, the odd warmth he felt from her desire to know such things about him.

He couldn't remember the feeling of anyone holding familial love for him and this would no doubt count as one of the very few memories he had of his family at all, let alone it being such a positive one.  _Kami-sama_ , what an embarrassing thing for a middle-aged man to admit, even just to himself… that really had to take him down a few notches on even  _Gai's_  hip-o-meter.

"Ah, I'm thirty seven, I like miso and eggplant the best, uh, I suppose if I had to make a choice I'd say that I dislike earwigs the most – although centipedes are a close second and trait I find the most annoying? Hmm, I would say… false amiability," He grinned again having answered them, "And yourself?"

"Me? Oh ho ho, I'm not a day over fifty," She flopped a hand out in front of her in a dismissive, but joking fashion, "I like fried squid the best, I hate sand-hoppers – a sort of cricket like insect, they get everywhere! Although they seem to especially like crawling into bed with you! Ugh! And I suppose I find silliness most annoying in others." Her broad smile returned as well, as Kakashi found himself grateful for his mask hiding his disbelieving smile,  _'not a day over fifty?' She couldn't possibly be anything less than about the eighty mark, haa why do I get the feeling she and Tsunade would have a lot in common?_  A sizeable sweat drop appeared on the side of his head,

"Ahaha! Of course…"

"Is he a ninken?" She queried, dropping her eyes to Pakkun, who cocked his head,

"He is,"

"Then I see you must have signed Sakumo-chan's scroll," She looked fondly down at Pakkun for a few moments who wandered over to her, sniffing the hand she held out to him, as Kakashi couldn't help the slight curl of his lips at Riika referring to his father as 'chan', it seemed so at odds with what he remembered about the man.

"Riika-san, could you tell me about what's happened to Iwa? Why is it divided so?"

The elderly woman allowed a long sigh of defeat to escape her, "It saddens me to see the state Iwa is in, it used to be such a proud ninja village…"

 

* * *

 

_'Why is it so dark?' She sped through the trees, her feet apparently, instinctively knowing where to tread even though it was much too dark for her to see directly – but in a strange way, she felt lost at the same time, but it was a weird internal sort of feeling, like there was some part of herself not with her, as it should be. Confused, her mind turned away from those thoughts, although the feeling stayed with, like her lungs had been replaced with lead weights; the kuniochi began to feel more frantic, some was seriously wrong, or maybe it was missing, it was hard to tell, but her feet just kept moving faster and faster._

_She was suddenly aware, too that something was behind her – chasing along, keeping pace with her, but something gave Sakura the sense that it wasn't "chasing" her, as much as it was running in the same direction, and on the verge of engulfing her. It seemed like a great black emptiness that brought only fear and confusion._

_'Get a grip, damnit, you're stronger than this,' She spoke to herself, shoving past a bushy branch, feeling brambles and sharp twigs scrape against her bare legs, the kuniochi slowly noticed that it was getting lighter and lighter, already she could begin to pick out more details of the wood around her, the types of tree, songs of birds, the colours of the flowers that grew. An odd sense of familiarity washed over her and for a moment, the dread was forgotten as Sakura bounded further forward, the knowledge of just what she was running_ to _, she could nearly brush with her fingertips. It chased after her still, though, and just when she began to feel that she might remain lost forever, the trees suddenly ran out and she was falling through air._

_Her shinobi instincts kicked in and she quickly prepared for the steep impact as she slammed down onto the dry earth; the pursued feeling had apparently fallen away along with the trees and bright sunshine. She raised her eyes up to look around and felt her attention spike suddenly finding herself outside her own front door inside the apartment block – wasn't she just in woodland? Acting almost on instinct as her confusion melted away, she dropped her hand into her pouch to fish out a key, as she turned the handle and stepped inside, Sakura dropped her key on the side as she slipped her sandals off and breathed a sigh of relief; all traces of her earlier apprehension draining completely away. A modest grin settled itself on her lips as she made her way to her fridge, grabbing a can of green tea._

_Leaning back against her kitchen counter, she snapped open the drink and tipped it back to take a long, much needed glug,_

_'You're back at last,' She was as unsuspecting of his startling voice as the tea was in her abruptly constricting throat (which she promptly choked on); as her coughing fit subsided, she raised her eyes to the figure. They widened in recognition as Kakashi stepped towards her and slipped his arms around her, squeezing her close to his chest – which was clothed in only his skin-tight undershirt and attached mask, before Sakura could react, he'd pulled the can from her hand and pressed his naked lips to hers. All too quickly, her confusion melted away as his large hands found and covered her back as his tongue touched her lips; their kiss deepened and she allowed her hands to wind around him, pulling herself flush to him – a great gush of warmth and security overcoming her, erasing any trace of the earlier apprehension._

_All too soon he broke the kiss but remained close, resting his chin against the side of her head, she kept her eyes closed whilst regaining her breath_

_'I was expecting you back three days ago… not injured are you?'_

_'It must be a bad habit I picked up somewhere; but no, no injuries,' She replied,_

_'Good,' He breathed, pressing kisses to her neck as she opened her eyes, frowning as she saw that she was no longer in her kitchen, but in the one in Kakashi's house,_

_'Why am I in your kitchen?'_

_'What do you mean_ my _kitchen? It's as much yours as it is mine, Sakura-chan,' His voice was full of his familiar mirth, 'C'mon, let's go to bed, I can manage a few more hours of 'rest' before I have to meet Tsunade-sama,' He pulled completely away, his hand finding hers to tug her along with him, around the now familiar hallways of his home just outside of Konoha, Sakura could see then he was wearing only – sinfully tight – boxers on his lower half-_

"Ah!" Sakura awoke with a sudden gasp as she was suddenly on her feet, still on her bed, in an attack stance with a kunai in her hand – years of sleeping out in the field had her response programmed to the last detail; but as her eyes and other senses took in what was around her (and swiftly realising that she was alone in the room) had her breathing a slow sigh of relief and dropping down to a seat on the edge of her bed, "What the…" Her dream came flooding back to her and a sudden, but intense, blush covered her cheeks as she took it in fully.

The kuniochi dropped her kunai to the bedside table as she registered the lingering feelings of arousal the dream had left in her, as well as the confusion her conscious mind felt in trying to understand it – she'd never had a dream so vivid about another person (particularly one she knew), or one which had felt quite so  _real._  She continued to sit in a slight daze, her mind replying the dream for some minutes – although she did her best  _not_  think about where the dream had been leading, the undoubtedly provocative images did their very best to get themselves to the forefront of her mind, which wasn't helping her regain a steady heart-rate.

"Sakura-Taichou!" Uruki's voice snapped her attention to the door immediately, "Are you awake? It's almost time for breakfast!"

"H-Hai!" She was on her feet again in a flash as she busied herself with preparations for the day; digging through her backpack, trying to forget about the fantasy as she grumbled,  _more fucking eel…_

 

Sakura's day had gotten progressively more strange from her sudden awakening that morning – after a shocking breakfast of rolled omelette, mushroom and rice (without any sort of sea creature in sight, let alone eel), which had damn near induced heart attacks in all of the Konoha nin, the kuniochi had then issued her orders for the day to her team and set about on her daily early rounds to the ever increasing numbers of patients. Many of the civilian staff (as well as a number of medical ninja) seemed to give her the cold shoulder (and even shooting the occasional dirty looks), this in itself wasn't a problem, but rather, it seemed utterly bizarre for the epidemic they were facing.

She chalked it up to the typical arrogance of Kumo, which tended never to accept they might have to rely on something other than their pride; Yuukori-sensei had kept an acceptable professional distance, although he'd seemed ever colder than when she'd first met him and his superiority complex seemed to grow by the hour.

The kuniochi tried to put out of her mind what nagged her about the situation – whether there might be anything in the shadows influencing their behaviour – and focussed on her analysis of yet more tissue samples from some of the more recent patients. The kuniochi had also requested blood (and other tissue, where available) samples from healthy Kumo citizens, or other patients showing no sign of the illness and who were being kept well away from the infected.

Shockingly, the hospital had  _not_  been very forthcoming or helpful in providing her with additional samples – they failed to understand the significance of why healthy tissue could possibly be of any use and instead, thought that she would merely be risking a larger outbreak. Deciding that she could no longer take the inaction, she'd settled what work she could for the time being and went to fetch Ikori,

"Sakura-Taichou?" He'd queried as she walked up to him,

"You and I are going on a little field trip in a short while, we need healthy blood samples from some of the Kumo citizens but nothing's getting done. Finish what you can here and scrub up, meet me at the main hospital entrance in half an hour – I'll bring the equipment we need and I'll inform Neru-kun and Uruki-kun,"

"Hai, Taichou,"

"If anyone asks, we're going out to lunch," He nodded as Sakura slipped past him and continued on out of the ward full of uncomfortable patients, she made her way towards Yuukori-sensei was likely to be – at the nurses' station collecting his precicely-at-11.47am-cup-of-coffee; the pink haired medic internally rolled her eyes at this, she could, quite literally, set her clocks by him, surprising as it was that he could be so damned lazy and ineffectual when it came to the important matters.

"Excuse me, Yuukori-sensei?" He held up a hand as the (admittedly very attractive blonde nurse) finished pouring out a cup of coffee for him from the large beaker, she added copious amounts of both milk and sugar before he was satisfied. He took an immediate sip and let out an extravagant sigh to let his pleasure be known to the entire corridor. If people like him – those who just liked to arrogantly bask in presence of attractive members of the opposite sex – didn't irritate her so, she might even have found his antics amusing, as many of the female nursing staff often did.

"Yuukori-sensei?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, Sakura-chan, what can I do for you?" She only  _just_  managed to resist her eye twitch at the use of the that damn suffix she hated people using,

"I'm going to take a break for lunch break as an opportunity to get a look at the medical records for Kumo, to see if this illness has been treated before." He eyeballed her from above his cup of coffee, still raised to his lips,

"We looked, there isn't,"

"I need to look for myself, Yuukori-sensei, please," She raised an eyebrow and cocked her head slightly, it wasn't quite what someone would consider 'flirting', but to the pompous, her full attention was on him, which he craved. Too bad he had to be a smart bastard, knowing that giving in too soon would have her leaving,

"Sakura-chan, I wouldn't  _lie_  about this, what purpose would it serve? The records need special clearance to access and then there's the issue of doctor/patient confidentiality,"

"Yuukori-sensei, there is an epidemic of an unknown – and currently untreatable – illness afflicting Kumo, with more and more people becoming infected as each day passes…soon there will be too many for the hospital to adequately cope with. I don't care to go through an individual's entire personal history, just enough of special cases where an illness like this was recorded. You can even sit with me, if you are so concerned, to ensure that I go no further than absolutely necessary." She really hoped he wouldn't agree to that, she didn't think she could put up with him for the time it would take to research enough files. He took his time in deciding as he supped from his mug,

"I don't know, I'm very busy, Sakura-chan,"

"And you'll be even busier unless we can resolve this epidemic."

"But there is nothing  _in_  those files; I know, I've checked!" Yuukori was right on the verge of denying her all together at this rate, and that would be a serious setback – why were all Cloud nin such idiots?

"Yuukori-sensei, I would only need this lunch time in which too look over a number of records."

"Sakura! When you can prove to me that you're looking for something different than I had been, I'll allow you to look through the records, but until then, I need your attentions where they'll do some good – on the patients we currently have!" He wasn't speaking at much less than a shout and he certainly looked angry – but in the childish, 'you're not doing as I say' kind of way; Sakura held the silence for a few moments, the tension between them damn near palpable;

"…I understand, Yuukori-sensei," She finally replied, rather stiffly,

"Good… then go and see to the patients in the isolation ward,"  _Arrogant asshole_ , Sakura kept her thoughts well away from where anyone might be able to guess them and used her most-professional smile – the one usually reserved for the especially sour and snobbish. Turning on her heel, she marched away towards the opposite side of the hospital, which thankfully, was where the stores were located; Kami, she hadn't thought Yuukori would turn out to be so stubborn… she was beginning to wonder if Kumo even  _wanted_  their epidemic cured.

 

Sakura eyed him from where she was stood at the nearby desk (filling in yet another article of paperwork) as he watched one of the other young nurses as she moved about the stores room, organising different medicines and equipment, picking up a number of different items once she was satisfied with her efforts. Her presence was very diminutive and gave Sakura the feeling that unless she chose to make it otherwise, half of the other staff probably weren't even aware that she was working at the hospital.

"She's pretty," Sakura whispered in Senri's ear, making him jump,

"N-no! It's not like that!" He quickly countered, looking back to her as the dark purple haired nurse walked out of the stores, looking at the both of them strangely, but walked past without word,

"Sure," Sakura fought to keep her grin in check,

"No, you don't get it," Senri's tone was harsher than she could remember him using, he grabbed her elbow and tugged her along with him, looking briefly over his shoulder, "She's not one to be trusted," He whispered, pulling them into the stores room itself and closing the door before he turned to rummage through the area the woman had been stood,

"What?"

"She's been stealing from the hospital, I'm sure of it! So many times I've come in here after her and found lower inventories without stuff having been either signed out or an order replacement form having been signed and filed," Sakura snorted lightly,

"That's barely proof and besides, if you need to treat someone quickly, there's hardly time for bureaucracy." Senri spun his head around and narrowed his eyes at her – looking every bit the archetypal paranoid squirrel,

"She's a suspicious character, she's no friends in the hospital – and I even followed her home one evening, but she went to a bar, for hours! She talked to strange men and drank with them, but left alone! Really shady!" Senri continued to babble ignoring Sakura's slowly raising eyebrow-of-disbelief, "I'm just suspicious of her! I really think she's up to no good…you're a ninja, can't you… I don't know, tell if she's lying or something?" Sakura couldn't hide her breath of laughter at that,

"Senri-san, I'm not a lie detector, and don't you think you might be jumping the gun just a little?" The kuniochi stepped over towards the door, slipping her pen back into her pocket, "Look, if you find some concrete and undeniable evidence against her, then of course you should go to Yuukori-sensei with it; but one shouldn't ever be too hasty to condemn anyone, especially an ally – you don't always have to  _like_  those you work with, but you have got to trust them," She halted, just before she made to turn to gather some of her supplies, "And don't follow people home, Senri-san, not only is it creepy, but it's the sort of thing that can get you arrested,"

"I know that, Sakura–san," He sounded so  _young_  when he said those words, so  _innocent_ ; she nodded and offered a last smile before turning to busy herself and completely divert attention from him, but he closed the distance between them, "Sakura-san…thank you for listening, I was sure you'd laugh me off! And… please be careful, a lot of the other nurses and some doctors feel threatened by you, if she does, then she might do something, thinking that because most don't look twice at her, she could get away with it," Sakura frowned lightly,

"Senri-san, I really appreciate your concern, but I am a Jounin shinobi, independently of my medical abilities – even alone it would take a  _lot_  for someone to pose a serious threat, but I do have a team with me, too," Senri's eyebrows still pinched together in mild unease,

"Please be careful, Sakura-san, she's not what she seems," The kuniochi merely nodded as Senri let himself out of the stores room leaving the kuniochi alone, she was concerned at the degree of Senri's warnings – he seemed almost paranoid rather than anything else, but she could also read unfounded fear better than most. She shook her head, as though to clear the bizarre interaction that had just taken place and swiftly inventoried all of the needed items for hers and Ikori's lunchtime jolly.

 

* * *

 

"What will happen to you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" She queried, her momentary confusion evident, "Oh, you mean with Peikou! Well, that old bear likes to growl, but he hadn't got that much of a bite, I'll be fine." She waved a hand negligently, but Kakashi furrowed his brow, "Don't worry, Kakashi-chan, an old girl like me can handle herself just fine, now you'd better get going before you're discovered to be missing." She walked him back to her front door, but paused before she opened it; Kakashi, for the first time in a very long time, found himself caught slightly off guard as Riika threw her arms around his neck and drew him into an – admittedly very awkward, although endearing – hug; "I'm so glad that I got the opportunity to see you again, to get to know my grandson."

"I'm glad to have met you as well." He replied, resting his hands on her back by way of reciprocation, "I hope we'll be able to see each other again in the future." She let him go and ushered him out of the door,

"I'm certain we will," She offered, along with a diminutive grin before she slid the door closed again, making it seem as though they'd not so much as set eyes on each other.

Kakashi meandered slowly back towards the administration building that he'd been housed in for the past few days as he thought back to his visit to his grandmother; concerned by what she'd told him of the situation of Iwa. Apparently, after the Fourth War had claimed Oonoki's life, Iwa had lost not only massive resources and shinobi to the war, but their leadership as well; its stability ravaged, it had only to turn to the selfish Lords who ruled the wider civilian population (and farmlands) of Earth.

They'd all too readily agreed to taking over Iwagakure no Sato –  _all_  of them had, and in the end, the only way a realistic decision could be made, was down to monetary wealth and so the spoils of Iwa were divided up between four, who (in their anger over having to 'share' the ninja village) had each claimed a district and attacked each other through punishing the shinobi who were forced to traverse between the districts in their daily lives.

Apparently, becoming a ninja was now much more a competitive and uneven – for each district offered one or two aspects of compulsory academy education – and for the graduation to Genin, Chuunin or Jounin, the crossing between districts was obviously unavoidable, and so it was 'dealt with' by most officials pretending to turn a blind eye and instead taxing the civilians who needed free movement around the village.

It seemed beyond ridiculous to Kakashi that the Lords could think it sensible or sustainable for them to chop the village up and each abuse it like some sick child with a pet – how long did they really think the ninja village would last under such pressure? The cost of running a ninja village was enormous and they seemed to be trying to run four in the space of one, and trying to gain maximum profit for themselves… there was only one way things could go – the effectiveness of the shinobi would drop and drop, losing mission requests all the while, until the village was utterly unsustainable and it would collapse in on itself.

Kakashi had to wonder that if the only way that Iwa had been allowed to get into such a state was because most of the villages were more concerned with internal affairs and getting back on their feet for the past few years, and that Iwa had always maintained a high level of secrecy about its village, being suspicious of even too much civilian movement.

But the hidden village was frankly inviting attack the longer it remained so weak, there were many who held a grudge against Iwa and its involvement in the wars through the decades – and for one of the Great Nations to fall would throw the entire balance of power out of whack. They'd already suffered through the loss of the tailed beasts, who knew what would happen if it became common knowledge that Iwa was now so fragile. As Kakashi darted though the shadows only a few yards back, a sudden thought struck him which made him grin slightly and quicken his pace;

"You're back at last!" Genma's surprised voice drew his attention as the shinobi slipped back in through the modified window he'd jimmied earlier,

"Genma? You're still awake?"

"Of course, baka! With you off on a lark in the middle of the night and  _I've_  had to cover for you of course I wouldn't be asleep!" The tokabetsu Jounin stage-whispered disgruntledly, only further irritated by Kakashi's blithe grin – even though he knew it was false;

"I learned a lot… you might be interested to hear just what a state Iwa is in." The Copy Nin slid his sandals off and reached for the pitcher of water and poured himself a glass as he took a seat at the kotatsu opposite Genma;

"Oh?"

"You won't believe it, the village has been carved into quarters in accordance with each Lord that rules it; they tax every citizen who crosses each district border. Kuso, Iwa is a real mess, apparently with the loss of the Tsuchikage, Iwa went to the highest bidder – which are the current four Lords, and each wants the highest profit, at each other's expense," Genma narrowed his eyes slightly as he took on board what Kakashi was saying,

"You mean Iwa has been split into fourths? How can the ninja village operate?"

"Painfully and it seems that a lot of it is done separately – as an active shinobi village, Iwagakure is on its last legs,"

"Shit… it can't be that bad."

"You'd better believe it and I think that it might just be the bargaining chip that we need to get Iwa to make some sort of agreement."

"So who did you meet?" Genma asked and Kakashi paused – he wasn't quite ready to divulge that information;

"…No one, really. Listen I'm going to work on forming some of the 'agreements' between the Lords on the new info that I've found, maybe we can get out of here just a little sooner than we thought. Thanks for holding the fort, get some rest, Genma," The other shinobi eyed his old friend for a few moments before rising to his feet (knowing very well Kakashi didn't like to be pushed),

"Don't stay up too late – a grouchy mediator tends to lead to bad negotiations." Genma grinned,

"Yeah, yeah."

 

As Genma walked away Pakkun trotted over and planted himself as much in front of Kakashi as he was able for the fact the man was sat at the kotatsu,

"Can I  _please_  tell you the message from Sakura-chan, now?"

"Hmm? Oh, right, of course."

"She's a little worried – there's a nasty epidemic in Kumo now, which has claimed a lot of lives; over all, she'd heard no word on anything to do with Uzu, but she hasn't ruled out their knowing about it. She's recently received reports of further outbreaks from neighbouring villages, which she's due to check out, but she is concerned over the fact she'd found a number of attempts to sabotage her progress.

"I think she's worried over the fact that Kumo seem to need her help just a little too genuinely and it seems weird. Kumo are so proud, they're unbearable, actually, but it seems odd they haven't started to throw their weight around yet by making demands, instead of through attempts to undermine her like destroying her samples and research." Kakashi nodded, understanding Pakkun's words and Sakura's concerns, in a way, he too was worried that Iwa had seemed to be so genuinely in need of him – ordinarily he probably should have expected them to have pinned him into giving them grossly more than what they'd called him for.

"Thanks Pakkun… is she holding up all right?"

"She's fine," He replied easily, "Wearing herself out, but fine; her Chuunin don't seem completely useless." Kakashi grunted,

"Keep an eye on her, she's prone to overworking herself." His eyebrows pinched ever so slightly,

"Don't worry, I'll head back in the morning, after I've rested,." He grumbled, apparently till annoyed at having been bounced around for so long, he plodded away to the nearest comfortable patch he could find and crashed into an almost immediate sleep; Kakashi himself ran a hand through his hair and pushed his concern for the kuniochi aside to better direct his attention to where it might actually be productive – the carved up Hidden Rock village.

 

* * *

 

Sakura held two glowing green fingers around the small toe of the woman's left foot, healing the last of the old injury present; the civilian relaxed and sighed in seeing that not so much as a mark was left. Truly, Sakura loved her role as a medic nin, she couldn't have imagined the satisfaction she derived in caring and healing others when she initially started her training – nothing brought a smile to her face at the end of a day like knowing she'd made someone's life a little easier. The human body was almost a world within a world, and understanding its every function had become almost like an obsession – but a positive and yearning sort of obsession, where she just couldn't seem to stop throwing one foot in front of the other in an effort get just a little closer to another fact she hadn't known before.

So far today, for every blood sample she'd managed to collect, she'd healed at least two minor ailments of the people – the woman who'd just donated a sample, had two badly mutilated toes, which she'd broken a few years back, but hadn't been able to get it healed, and so had to put up with the injury. Unfortunately, the bones hadn't been reset and so had healed at a nasty, awkward angle which caused her great pain with every step or weight she put on the foot.

It went against every instinct Sakura possessed to watch people suffer – especially from such easily treatable ailments – just because of the gross system of healthcare Kumo provided, which demanded a percentage of a civilians weekly pay to have any injury treated, which was just by the civilian doctors. Shinobi medics were reserved for treating shinobi or only the most serious of civilian injuries. Sakura might have a lot of complaints about the (occasionally shambolic and disorganised) hospital in Konoha, but truly, it seemed almost like heaven on earth compared to Cloud.

"Oh, thank you Sakura-san!" The woman looked close to tears, "I couldn't remember what it felt like not to be in pain when I walked."

"It's perfectly all right – I was more than happy to help you," Sakura smiled warmly as she pulled her surgical gloves off and dumped them into the small inner waste-bag within her case, before she rose to her feet from the small stool she'd been sat on and turned to close her case – taking care to keep the precious blood samples she'd collected well padded, with a drop of anticoagulant into each and next to a specially designed cool-pad she'd inserted into the back of the case. Along with them was a notepad which described the actions, whereabouts and eating/drinking habits of each donor over the past several weeks, whcih was equally precious cargo.

"Sakura-Taichou!" Ikori's voice suddenly sounded from the hallway of the small house,

"Ikori-kun?"

"Sakura-Taichou! We've got to go, I just spotted two Kumo Chuunin headed this way, to find out what's causing all the fuss."

"Damn. I apologise, but we can't stay any longer." Sakura looked around for an alternate escape route,

"Here," The woman jumped up and lead the two shinobi through her home, "You can follow the walk-way right around and it will lead you to the bottom of the street, don't worry, I had no idea there were even any Konoha shinobi in the village." She said with a small wink,

"Shima-san..." Sakura began,

"Thank you for healing me, Sakura-san; now go! You must hurry!" Shima ushered them both out of the window as Sakura and Ikori shot her grateful grins before they took off. Moments later, the two Leafs had ducked down onto a busy street and weaved slowly through, in the general direction of the hospital; if Sakura thought she had the chakra to spare, she would probably have ordered them to henge. But having been forced to leave a clone at the hospital to cover for her, as well as the numerous tasks which had expended her chakra over the course of the afternoon, she couldn't afford to crash as soon as she returned to the infirmary.

"How many samples did you manage to collect?"

"About twenty, though I had to treat about fifty minor ailments to do it." The young Chuunin grumbled,

"Haha, you're a credit to every medic nin out there, Ikori," Sakura found that she literally couldn't keep the smile from her face – she and her teammate had managed to collect such an invaluable cache of information – which she truly hoped would be worth all of the effort (and deception) that they had gone to, to get.

As the two arrived back into the hospital, Ikori nodded to his captain, and continued on, back to where he was normally asked to help, on the understanding that he was to analyse the samples as soon as he could and later compare notes with the samples Sakura had collected. The kuniochi took herself off to her small lab she'd been allowed to have near exclusive use of – something she'd near insisted upon once she'd realised the extend of the epidemic.

Once she was safely inside, she put down her case and carefully hid it well out of the way (but not before she drew out the notebook and a blood sample) beneath her desk and behind a few large boxes, just as she straightened up, she focused her mind and found that her clone was walking back towards her lab and was thankfully alone in the corridor; it swiftly disappeared and Sakura staggered as she assimilated all of the information – her clone had expended a lot more chakra than she'd been expecting, having specified that she shouldn't be disturbed from her lab work.

Apparently, someone  _had_  disturbed her to help cope with another three patients (all of whom were children) who'd come in severely sickly and, much to Sakura's regret, all had died. Setting aside her remorse for later, she quickly prepared a slide for examination under the microscope as she read over the notes of this patient – a young male, mid-twenties, works at a butchers, hadn't left Iwa recently, was present at the market a few morning previously but apparently didn't buy anything (or approach the stall) of the initial victims of the illness.

Her mind flipped through the postulates set out years ago by foreign researchers Koch and Loeffler which describe the causal relationship between a causative microbe and a disease*, as she looked for any sign of the infectious agent that had been recorded in the infected, and all the while comparing notes for what the healthy tissue looked like. Worryingly, she found moderate concentrations of the same unidentified bacterial strain in their blood – but they'd shown no sign of the infection – she'd checked them for any and all symptoms (as best she was able outside of the hospital) but had found nothing. She quickly fished out all of the other samples and checked them for the bacteria – same thing, all had the agent present in their blood.

"…If this is a completely healthy Kumo citizen's blood then it violates the first postulate… true there have been a number of recorded examples where the infection agent is present, and the carriers are asymptomatic - there is debate as to whether the postulate should be abandoned as a universal requirement," Sakura muttered to herself as she paced around her lab in an attempt to focus her mind through her fatigue. Letting out a sharp exhale she returned to her desk before she grabbed a number of agar plates and began to take samples of the bacteria – from each blood sample – once a culture had been grown, she should be in a much better position to analyse the infectious agent and then make decisions about it and its treatment.

She hid the cultures separately from the blood samples (to which she'd added a secondary minuscule dose of anticoagulant as well as topping up the cooling pad), in a hidden compartment in the back of one of the cupboards that she made (being an earth elemental jutsu user sure did have its advantages at times) and thankfully, just as she returned the items to the cupboard and hiding everything away to her satisfaction, a sudden shout drew her attention;

"Sakura-san, Sakura-san!"

"H-hai, Senri-san?" The kuniochi forced herself away from the bench she was leaning on and over to the door, tugging it open, grumbling at the fact it seemed to have put on weight whilst she wasn't looking.

"Quickly, Yuukori-sensei is looking for you – he's had autopsy reports requested of the children and there've been more reported outbreaks of the illness in some nearby towns to Kumo - are you all right, Sakura-san?" His eyebrows pinched together in concern, as he took in her haggard appearance;

"I'm fine, where is Yuukori-sensei?" She pushed her fatigue away completely as Senri explained,

"In quarantine ward 3." The kuniochi turned to grab another pair of surgical gloves from her desk and pulled her lab door closed behind her, marched off to find the doctor, leaving Senri behind.

 

Sakura carried herself somewhat sluggishly back towards her lab, the past two hours had all but drained her from the last dregs of her chakra; she didn't notice immediately and as a consequence, nearly walked straight into the back of Senri.

"Sa-Sakura-san…your lab…" He stuttered, as the kuniochi looked up,

"Wha?" She stepped around the nurse and almost chocked on her breath of air as she saw the utter mess that her office was, her papers and books were strewn all over the place, knocked off her desk and shelves and messily onto the floor. Some of the vials had been smashed and the liquid left to spill over the floor and soak nearby documents; the kuniochi could see, too, that the blood samples she'd collected had been found and smashed – the thick crimson liquid had congealed into a grim pool just beneath the brow of her desk – though not before it, too had ruined a number of other sheets and the notebook documenting the actions and behaviours of the donors.

"Who the hell-?" She started angrily, her fatigue evaporating in the face of the destruction of her lab;

"It was her," Senri suddenly stated, making her half turn-around to set eyes on him, "That young nurse! I saw her practically running away from here – there was no one else around, but when I saw your door was open I hurried over just now and found it like this," She doubted he could look as angry if it had been his own office that had been ransacked.

"Senri-san, you shouldn't jump to-"

"No! I'm more than certain it was her…it must have been! She's been hanging around here so much lately that…" Sakura tried to tune out the sound of his voice as her eyes locked onto the pool of blood spilled from the samples she'd collected – all her hard work undone, all of the invaluable information that those samples held was now lost. She daren't look to see if the cultures had escaped destruction, not whilst anyone might catch her with them, but even so, their value was still limited in comparison to the blood.

Whoever it was that knew about her jaunt out to collect them, must really be bent on not letting her cure this illness. Perhaps it was time to send Pakkun to Kakashi, after all.

..

.

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n – if you're wondering about the ages of Rika and Kakashi, Eiko had Kakashi when she was about 21/22ish, and I reckon that Rika would have had Eiko at a similar age, early twenties – as would probably have been likely back then – so I don't think its too unlikely for a man Kakashi's age to have an (albeit quite elderly) grandparent still around – Sasori seemed to be well into his twenties – or so it seems based on the time elapsed – when Chiyo and Sakura fought him, so I used that as a slight reference.
> 
> Also – I think I made a minor error with the timings/didn't make them clear enough – Sakura has been in Kumo for the better part of a week (4/5 days) before she sent Pakkun to Kakashi. Kaka and team will have left Konoha a few days or so after Sakura left – bearing in mind the few days journey it would be for them both, so Saku + Chuunin will have been out of Konoha for little over a week and Kaka + team will have been out of Konoha for just about a week – i.e. the end of this chap is the first time Saku's sending Pakkun to Kaka, its just that the timings haven't been running concurrently between the two just yet!
> 
> *And I know, I know about the possible/highly likely discrepancy about that discovery and general scientific discoveries (particularly in the field of microbiology) and the world of ninja…. an the fact that modern microbiology has all but rendered the postulates invalid/no longer relevant, but I'm going to work in the idea that whilst Konoha/the Narutoverse has a concept of science – and is pretty advanced – it would be nowhere near the level of scientific development in 21st century…so their scientific ability, I'd say is a good number of decades behind ours…seem fair? Well, even if you disagree, this is the assumption I'll be working on for all hereafter geek lol - (if you want to read more on Koch's postulates: just look up 'Koch's postulates' on wikipedia and it'll take you there) :3
> 
> And as a final note: I promise there'll be more KakaSaku related titillation very soon! ^^


	21. The Swifter The Rain Falls...

 

It took Sakura a moment to realise where she was – her grogginess faded as she forced herself to sit up and look around; back in her accommodation? What? She racked her brains for a moment as she finally managed to make sense of the memories – Shinji and Uruki had shown up not long after, they'd listened to Senri and had tried to dart off and capture the nurse, but Sakura had stopped them, telling them not to jump to conclusions. They'd argued with her then, insisting that if the nurse had been connected to the ransacking of Sakura's office, then they had to challenge her on it – that they couldn't allow her to get away if she was a possible threat.

Inherently, the kuniochi agreed with what they were saying, but she couldn't very well tell them that the reason she wanted them to hold their horses was because the  _culprit_  might not be who they thought. Groaning slightly, she forced herself off the bed and onto her feet – apparently the chakra exhaustion and the subsequent mental stress had caused the kuniochi to finally crash; the clock told her it was nearly the afternoon of what must be the day after. For her many hours of sleep she certainly didn't feel any better.

"Shinji-kun?" She found him stood outside her door,

"Sakura-Taichou! You're awake at last!" Shinji span around, concern flashing over his face,

"What happened? Why are you stood out here?"

"After you collapsed, we decided that one of us should stay close in case the woman who did your office in decided on doing something more radical," He ushered her back into her room and for her to sit on her bed, she was indeed still feeling her fatigue;

"You've unequivocally proven that who did it?" She queried, a pointed look on her face causing the Chuunin to falter slightly,

"Uh, well, we chased after the nurse that Senri-san told us about but we haven't been able to find her yet but if there was a chance she was responsible, then…" Shinji trailed off slightly, scratching his cheek in apprehension,

"I get your point. Can you bring me a meal from the kitchens? I'll get ready in the meantime, I need to get back to my lab asap," She rose to her feet, and after a minor spell of dizziness, she busied herself with gathering a change of clothes;

"Uh, Sakura-Taichou, I think you should rest for a little while longer, you pushed yourself too hard yesterday, and it will take a bit of time for your chakra to-" He bit the end of his sentence off with the razor sharp look the kuniochi shot him for his attempted protestation,

"…I understand your concern, Shinji-kun," She said at length with a small sigh, "But I've wasted too much time already sleeping – there are probably five new patients in the hospital by now and I cannot afford to dawdle," She made another gesture to her door, "Now bring me a meal, please, Shinji-kun," The Chuunin hesitated for only a few more moments before he turned from the room and closed the door behind him.

Sakura had almost surprised herself at the speed with which she'd managed to shower and eat, so barely fifteen minutes later, she was marching down the corridor towards her office (which, from where she could see was still a state); as she crossed the threshold, she found that most of the disturbed (but mostly intact) papers had been restacked in to semi-neat piles – she shuddered to think at the state they might be in, organisation wise. The kuniochi closed the door and inspected, first, beneath her desk where she'd hidden her case full of blood samples – just as she'd expected, every last trace of her adventure into Kumo to collect the samples had been destroyed, no trace whatsoever had been left. It might have all as well been for nothing.

_Wait – the bacterial cultures!_ She jumped to her feet and hurried over to the cabinet they'd been hidden in; the door was open and many of the glass beakers, test-tubes and microscope slides normally stored in there were knocked askew. Sakura moved enough aside to clear the hidden compartment before summoning what chakra she was able and moulded the earth blocking up the cavity; as the earthen plug melted away, she tugged out the petri dishes and laid them out on the bench beneath the cabinets.

It took her almost a minute of staring at them blankly before she forced herself to carry one over to the microscope and slotted it into position, desperately hoping her eyes were just playing tricks on her, but just the same; there was  _nothing_  in the petri dishes. Nothing. She smeared the sample correctly, hadn't she? The agar was just right, wasn't it? What the hell was going on? Why had nothing grown? It didn't make any sense. Deciding to check every single last petri dish just to be certain, but, with a horrible knot in her stomach told her that the facts in front of her couldn't be ignored or explained away for much longer – had she misinterpreted the blood samples?

Impossible, surely... but then, why was there nothing there? Had someone switched them? But why would they go to such trouble to replace them, when they'd obviously shown no such qualms about trashing her office and leaving the strewn evidence for all to see?  _Could it have been someone different?_ A suspicious whisper from her mind offered, but something didn't seem right about that either – when would there have been time? She was gone for barely two hours, and in that time someone would have had to undo her jutsu, replace the dishes (which would have mean they must have had prior knowledge of their being there) and then recast exactly the same jutsu and no one Sakura knew could perform such an action to such perfection, besides the Copy Nin – and, besides being an ally, he was currently in Iwagakure - even  _he_  wasn't  _that_  fast.

 

"Sakura-Taichou!" A sudden shout drew her attention as she snapped her head up, her neck clicking with the force;

"What is it?"

"We've got to go! The outbreak in the Naikan province urgently needs our attention; Yuukori-sensei said we need to leave within the hour!" Ikori called from the far side of the door –  _right!_

"Okay, I'll be out in a moment, how many cases are estimated?"

"Approximately ten or so,"  _Damn_ , Sakura hurried to hide away the petri dishes again and gather up what supplies she'd need for the trip,

"Who will be sent on this mission, aside from you and I?" She checked around for a few spare slips of paper and texts,

"Shinji and Uruki, too, and another nurse, uh, Chisa-san, I think," Sakura nodded – momentarily forgetting that Ikori couldn't see her, still being on the far side of the door; taking a last look – satisfied she'd hidden the cultures away again – she yanked open the door, and marched out; "You're all set?" Ikori asked politely, to which she nodded,

"Where to?"

"The others are waiting at the hospital entrance…" Sakura could see a silent question written on his face, but they continued on in silence nonetheless, both knowing better than to discuss it in such an open setting. As they reached the main doors they saw Uruki, who nodded to his team captain,

"Taichou."

"Uruki-kun, anything new to report?" She hadn't actually met with him recently, he'd been out checking the areas of the hidden village where the majority of those infected lived or regularly went.

"I apologise, Taichou, but I haven't had any luck in tracking down the suspect nurse, though I didn't want to leave Kumo without your express permission."

"And rightly so, we've little more than conjecture to go on concerning her – I want you to start looking for more concrete evidence, which you  _should_  have been doing since the beginning!" Uruki looked irritated but didn't say anything as he averted his eyes; the kuniochi held the silence for a moment more, but decided to let it slide, with just a warning of, "We'll talk about this later," She turned to the small-ish nurse who was stood beside Shinji, looking a little nervous from their bickering – she was very slightly built with very short hair, but it was of the palest blonde Sakura had ever seen, "Chisa-san, I trust you know the way to Naikan province? How long will the journey take?"

"Approximately six hours." Another, male voice responded instead of Chisa; it came from one of the Kumo Chuunin, the kuniochi guessed and he was dressed in full shinobi gear; "I am Yin Kutaro, and I will be escorting you to Naikan province," Sakura eyed him carefully for a few moments – he was imposingly tall with a stern, unfriendly face;

"Right. Well, then we should get going, there's no time to waste." Sakura said, the same unease refusing to lift; for so much going on, no one seemed very bothered and now they were foisting her off out the way?

 

Sakura sighed as she placed her hand on the forehead of a young girl – she couldn't have been more that about fifteen or sixteen, but she was desperately ill, and the kuniochi knew there was so little she could do for the girl, besides make her as comfortable as possible, which wasn't easy amid the rashes, elevated temperature, headaches and numerous other symptoms. She walked away to the next cot, separated by a small canvas partition, to tend to a middle aged woman, who wasn't quite as bad off, but she was still a state,

"Wha…tuh…" Sakura lifted the glass and helped her drink, being well versed in translating the slurred speech of the ill, "Hows…my –aughter?"

"She's stable, but you must rest, Pesha-san," She soothed, "I promise I'll inform you of any change."

"Sakura-Taichou?"

"Yes, Uruki-kun?"

"I've asked around as much as I can, although the people here aren't exactly forthcoming, but it seems that a small group of men stopped in the village about two days ago, there were four of them and by most accounts they seemed a bit shifty – if only because it's pretty rare to get five men travelling together who aren't samurai or monks or mercenaries…they claimed to friends although two were siblings who looking for work and were very pleasant according to almost everyone who came into contact with them." Sakura frowned,

"Were any of them obviously ill when they were here?"

"Apparently one of the younger ones was quite lethargic suffered from dizzy spells, and had apparently vomited a number of times, but – and I quote from the elderly woman who told me this – 'like a typical man, he refused to admit there was anything wrong with him', although his friends tried to get him to see a doctor. They apparently left before he'd received any treatment or diagnosis," The both shinobi rolled their eyes slightly at the younger nin's words, but it was soon dismissed,

"Well, those symptoms  _do_  fit, but they're common for a large number of illnesses and ailments so by itself that doesn't tell me much; any information about where they'd come from or where they were going?"

"They'd said something about having come from the North shore fishing village of Okyona, and other than the fact that they left the village by the standard trading route, heading south-west."

"Well, at least we know a little more – good work, Uruki-kun, keep your eyes and ears out for any more information or anything suspicious,"

"Hai, Taichou,"

"Oh, and if you see Ikori-kun, tell him to come and see me." He walked away after a polite nod to the kuniochi (who lamented the fact Pakkun still wasn't back from Kakashi yet) and she allowed herself a moment to pause, she took a few steps away from the front of the large marquee-tent (one they'd had set up to help deal with the sick) to a slightly quieter side-alley. Casting her eyes up to the sky, which was steadily darkening with an all-too-quickly approaching night; she hadn't forgotten about the failed cultures, but neither was she finding it easy to direct the necessary mental energy to analysing them with all of the victims of the illness around her.

Already they'd been in the small province for three days – but even in that time (and with the levels of Sakura's exhaustion) she hadn't missed the signs that something was not right – if she were back in Kumo, by this point, the mother and her teenage daughter would have suffered the most severe of the migraines before falling unconscious – waking, only on occasion, to a delirium; but here, none of the victims seemed to have suffered that.

Sakura wasn't sure what was going on, for all of her other analysis, it appeared to be the exact same illness – but where there should have been migraines, the ill instead suffered from joint inflammation and soreness, as well as weaker deliriums more filled with paranoia – these victims tended to vomit less, too. Instinct told Sakura not to take the discrepancies lightly, she had no idea what the changes signified, but the knot in her stomach had her awake on most nights analysing more blood samples. Which wasn't easy in the rather backward province, although she'd struggled with the limited supplies she'd brought with her, the kuniochi was thankful that she'd managed to make at least  _some_ progress-

A sudden movement drew her attention as her eyes flicked across to catch a figure dart over the low roofs of the village buildings; but something seemed tantalisingly familiar about the long, dark purple hair that was just about visible in the dim evening light, that stature was also familiar…but where was- _wait, wasn't that…the nurse from the hospital? The one Senri suspected?_

 

* * *

 

Kakashi took a lot of pleasure in pulling his classic routine – after making Peikou wait a full forty-five minutes for him that morning, he'd then expertly halted, right before they were supposed to enter the building allocated for the negotiations and turned to Genma and Raidou – Peikou had wasted no time in cutting across not bothering to even attempt to mask his irritation,

"What is it now?" Apparently, the aide did not deal well with a lack of sleep and Kakashi had kept him up all night, requesting certain items of information, documents and accounts to read over – by the early hours of the morning, Peikou had almost given up fighting Kakashi on them and had provided them all with little more than a grumble. So by now, after he'd gotten all of an hour's sleep, he was an angry bear in a small cage;

"Hmm? Oh, I just need to go over a few last minute things with my aides – you can wait for me inside, I won't be a moment," The sharp eyebrows of the Iwa nin pinched together in an ugly scowl,

"I cannot leave you unattended in Iwagakure."

"We'll only be a moment, in shouting distance still if we get that desperate, Peikou-c-san," Kakashi only  _just_  caught himself enough to avoid having said 'chan', which, admittedly, he desperately wanted to do, but knew it would be just a bit  _too_  out of line; the aide's eye twitched dangerously,

"Ashikino-san?" Riro approached them from the opposite side of the street, drawing the senior aide's attention,

"Yes, Riro-san?"

"Hakkou-sama requests our presence," Peikou let out a small breath of what was probably irritation but he nonetheless turned and entered the building, leaving only a sour cloud of irritation behind - which Kakashi pretended to be oblivious to.

Eventually, the Copy Nin placed himself in his seat – and in true mediating style, he was joined that the table only by Ashikino (Taneki Riro and Sarekita Washin stood just a little way behind, as did Genma and Raidou). The Lords were each divided onto their own, small table; but as a group, they were sat close together into what could loosely be seen as a triangle, giving no one (not even Kakashi) the dominant position.

"Finally! Copy Ninja Kakashi, you have kept us waiting too long! Tell us your preliminary decisions and let's get on with it!" The loudest (and most irritating) of the Lords, Hakkou, demanded – which was followed by murmur of agreement from the others. Kakashi made a point of looking up from the pages of document in front of him and meeting the Lord's eye,

"If you please,  _Hakkou-sama_ , delicate negotiations take time, and I assure you that there is very good reason for my tardiness." Kakashi shuffled the paper in front of him for effect before continuing (here, the silver-haired ninja found himself appreciative that Genma was stood behind him – seeing the tokubetsu Jounin's silly grin at Kakashi's antics would surely break his cool demeanour), "Now, before we go any further, there are a few questions I would like to pose to you, the Lords, about the state of Iwagakure as it currently is. I am aware that you have been telling me bits and pieces over the past few days, but I need some more specific information; firstly, I would like you to tell me more about how you claim authority over Iwa."

Kakashi almost sighed at the blank faces that greeted him and so he dove into the lengthy elaboration, "You all say that you 'rule' Iwagakure, and yet you are all fighting over certain aspects and allowances usually therein the role of the Tsuchikage; yet, if you were all accurately sharing that role, I do not understand how a number of your disputes could have arisen. I was told that you each have taken command of some of the Iwa shinobi, but that by itself doesn't seem enough to warrant such problems. So I imagine that you must have each accorded yourselves some part of Iwa which affords you some portion of your wealth…please describe to me how that allocation has been decided," He was still met with blank faces,

"What do you mean? We are in control of Iwagakure, the four of us," It was hard to tell if their foolishness was a genuine or not,

"Yes, but… here, take one of your disputes for example, Orsha-sama, you stated that you wish to commission more building work on the south eastern side of Iwa, but Jurka-sama refused stating it would encroach too much – tell me, what exactly would it be encroaching into that only Jurka-sama objects to so much?"

"It would be encroaching to space that my shinobi need!" Kakashi raised an eyebrow,

"So you have divided Iwa up? Has it been cut into sections?" He could feel Ashikino stiffen next to him, but he ignored it, Jurka looked suspicious for a moment, but nodded,

"That's right, we divided Iwa up into allocated sections between us."

"And what do these divisions mean? Are there literal blocks between each section of the village, or is it simply a line you've draw on your map to allocate collateral?" The Copy Nin hated the taste of such ugly political words, but he made certain to keep it so well hidden even Inoichi would have a difficult time finding it;

"There are signs marking the borders within the village, but there are no restrictions on movement," Jurka shrugged lightly, apparently to give the aura of ease, along with his answer,

"Completely free?" Kakashi carefully noted the averted eyes of the other Lords and their diminutive presences – normally, none Lords would have spoken at this length without another interrupting by now,

"Of course."

"…I find that hard to believe. If there was absolutely no limit on movement, then why would Orsha want to expand within his district? But more than that, surely there would be no benefit to even  _having_  districts without there being some incentive to do so… such as monetary gain." A very similar guilty anger flashed over all of the Nobles' faces;

"What are you suggesting?"

"You don't tax your citizens or shinobi?" His voice might have been cool and detached as he spoke, but the silver-haired nin fought to control his disgust – of course he understood the need of taxes, they were a necessary evil, so to speak; but at least he could trust in Konoha, that the majority went back into caring for the village, instead of into the pockets of selfish and greedy men.

There was a slight pause which fell over the room, and it told Kakashi more than he needed to know; instead of allowing it to work against him, however, he quickly made use of the silence,

"Well, then, since you  _have_  drawn such boundaries between your districts, then any alteration to the size of one area with directly detriment the other three,"

"Right!" Jurka affirmed suddenly,

"Then, why don't you simply increase the monetary value of the district you have?" The Lords all narrowed their eyes slightly at Kakashi's words,

"How so?"

"You could build up the training facilities of your shinobi – the better trained your nin are, the more missions they can take which will bring greater revenue to Iwagakure,"

"But that would require a huge cost! I can't afford to create a whole ninja village in just my district!"

"Exactly! The ninja don't bring in enough revenue for us to afford to do that!"

"Then why don't you all pool your resources? If you each contributed some finance, then I'm certain you'd have enough to better train your shinobi to take the more high ranking and expensive missions," Kakashi offered, watching carefully as each of the Lords hesitated, shooting the occasional suspicious look at each other,

"…I couldn't possibly do that – look, even now Orsha is trying to steal my district and now you expect me to give up my wealth to him?" Jurka angrily demanded, "You're a fool, Copy Ninja Kakashi, I don't know why you were called in! This is pointless!" The Lord rose to his feet in apparent preparation to leave but the Leaf was quick to stop him,

"Now hold on, you misunderstand me, I am saying that you  _all_  need to contribute. Iwagakure will shortly collapse in you do nothing about the present situation, your revenue is falling because so few missions are being taken – and successfully completed – by Iwa shinobi, that shortly you won't be able to sustain even the currently level of training you're offering," This was now dangerous ground and Kakashi had to work hard to make sure he concerned, but did not offend the Lords – if they didn't listen, then Iwa was really going under.

"You-you just  _want_  Iwagakure to fail, Leaf, so that you'll have less competition! Peikou, why did you call  _this_  shinobi in to help us? Didn't you realise that he'd be working for his own ends, rather than ours?"

"Jurka-sama, Hatake Kakashi has long since earned the respect of Iwagakure for his assistance during the Fourth Ninja World War, and the business with the Akatsuki; it would do him no good to see Hidden Rock fail." Kakashi wasn't sure what exactly prompted Ashikino's confidence in the Copy Nin's intentions, as his words had been something of a non sequitur – was there a silent threat in that?

"Ahikino-san is correct, Jurka-sama, believe it or not Konoha would suffer greatly if Iwagakure was to fail as a ninja village; the five Great Nations must remain in place to keep the balance of power, if Iwa ceases to exist, then all of the nations will suffer. The other Great Nations will then be perceived as weak and the smaller shinobi countries will then seek to work for their own more selfish goals; the system of the Great Nations only works with the five and a degree of tension therein ensures that they are all the best, never allowing one to completely take over."

"I find that quite difficult to believe," Orsha began, "If Iwa collapsed then there would merely be more missions for the other nations, making them stronger, how could you possibly say that it would make them weak as well, that's preposterous. I think you are twisting words to try and make us do what you want, what would benefit Konoha most, rather than Rock," The other Lords in the room murmured in agreement,

"I also think that, just like with our situation, if one of the Great Nations falls, then it only affords more power to the remaining four – if one of our Lords were to falter, the remaining three would gain greater control over Iwa," Riish supplied, earning an angry-

"Is that some sort of threat?" From Hakkou,

"It was only an analogy, Hakkou-sama, no need to get out of your basket," Said Lord nearly jumped to his feet, but Ashikino wasn't slow to step in;

"Hakkou-sama, Riish-sama, please, these are polite negotiations and I politely ask you all to be mindful of them; now, Kakashi-san, you were given the task of setting out agreements for the Lords, what have you decided?" Kakashi barely resisted the sigh he wanted to issue…it seemed that no matter what concerns he raised, they would all fall on deaf ears.

"Well, first off, I do not think that Orsha-sama should be allowed to encroach into the district which Jurka-sama or any other Lords control."

 

* * *

 

Sasuke ambled slowly back towards his current home – one of the many apartments dotted around Konoha that were designed with shinobi in mind (apparently, the old Uchiha compound had long since been destroyed by Pein's attack year and years previously). As he ambled, he tried to distract himself from the feel of the eyes on him from the ANBU assigned to watch him; it severely irritated Sasuke, but even so he found that he couldn't quite be bothered with trying to evade them or escape Konoha.

There was nothing left for him out there, all he ever wanted, has nearly been accomplished; still, he'd never have imagined that he'd end up back in Konoha, though, no matter what his old teammates had said time and again. He wanted to hate it, to resent them for forcing him back where he didn't want to go, but he just couldn't quite find the effort to do so; he let out a sigh as he turned down the next side-alley to take him to his apartment.

The shinobi took note of where he was and his mind turned to what he'd witnessed a week or so back – Sasuke had almost gaped like a fish when he'd been passing by and came across Kakashi pinning Sakura against the wall of an alley, his lips on hers. Were they  _really_  involved with each other, despite words to the contrary? Sasuke thought more about the kiss he'd witnessed – if they really were together, then why had Kakashi's mask remained up?

And Sakura's words of playful complaint suggested it wasn't a regular occurrence, but what the hell had happened that two of his teammates would choose to become romantically linked? Especially for it being  _Kakashi's_  team – he was the freak of teamwork, and Sasuke suspected that if anyone would set aside his personal feelings for the sake of a team and mission, it would be the silver-haired shinobi at the very top of the list.

Sasuke smirked as the thought crossed his mind that Sakura might somehow have tempted the lust in Kakashi to side-step the man's sensibilities; as if that could ever be likely…that girl was as pathetic as she had ever been. She might have grown up physically, but he'd seen nothing yet to suggest that she was anything more than the whiny girl of so many years ago – and Sasuke  _knew_  Kakashi had better taste than that. As the Uchiha made it onto the next street, he bit back the groan he wanted to issue at spotting a familiar orange blob in his periphery – but that attempt to be quiet, ironically, drew attention to himself.

"O-oh! Sasuke! What're you doing?" Naruto grinned in genuine happiness to see his darker haired near-sibling,

"Just on my way home from work."

"Ooh!" Naruto cooed, "Where're you workin'?" Sasuke's attention was drawn a familiar kuniochi stepping a touch closer to the two, almost equal to them in height, but a good deal more slender and delicate looking than her male counterparts; was that…  _Hyuuga Hinata?_

"I work in maintaining the Genin and Chuunin training grounds, Naruto."

"Hahaha, you're a gardener, now? Hahahah!" The jinchuuriki nearly doubled over in amusement, but the shy Hyuuga chastised him,

"Naruto! You shouldn't laugh at Sasuke-kun's attempt to redeem himself." Her words lacked the aggressive assertiveness that most of her age-mates expressed, but it was still a monumental improvement on her younger years,

"Ah-ha, Hinata!" Naruto offered to her coy smile, easily transmitting his embarrassment, whilst rubbing the back of his head with his hand,

"Idiot," Sasuke spat at him, causing the Uzumaki to flush with both humiliation and anger, but before he could get a word in, the kuniochi beside then cut across more fiercely than her last words,

"Well, Naruto-kun is smarter than you, he might have had good reason to, but he knew not to abandon his village," Her words might have been lacking lively confidence, but of all things it did contain, conviction was top of the list – and it surprised both boys; Sasuke's eyebrows raising ever so slightly, as Naruto's surprise flickered into a proud grin,

"Ha!" He added, smirking first at the Uchiha, before turning back to the Hyuuga, "C'mon Hinata, let's go and get lunch – see ya, Sasuke!" The Uchiha stood stock still for a few moments taking in everything that had happened; an assertive Hyuuga heiress? A Naruto more interested in girls than he was training? A Kakashi daring to fraternise with a team-member? A Sakura capable of attracting the Copy Nin?

Konoha sure had changed whilst he was away.

 

* * *

 

Kakashi threw his fist forward, aiming for Raidou's chest as the bodyguard specialist leant back just far enough out of reach as his own arm shot up to grip the Copy Nin's wrist and grip it tight, not only stopping the strike but trapping his opponent. Raidou span around, twisting the other shinobi's arm as he went, to get better leverage, and thrust a kick to his ribs; Kakashi yanked his arm back and darted away before pulling a kunai and a length of wire free from his pouch. Genma chose this moment to step in as he swept his leg around to Raidou's ankles, it was more of a distraction move than anything else, by simply forcing the bodyguard specialist to change his position and give his attention to something other than Kakashi, it put him at a disadvantage.

This advantage wasn't wasted by the youngest shinobi as he flung his kunai, with attached wire to Raidou and immediately followed up with some fast taijutsu. Kicks flowed into punches which flowed into strikes and blocks, Raidou kept up well, and returned most of the attacks, but the Copy Nin was renowned for his speed and agility; even that wasn't enough for him to stay a step ahead when Genma joined more fully, also attacking the silver-haired shinobi and Kakashi was forced to change tactics.

He flung himself backwards, allowing himself to slide to a halt over the sandy concrete roof whilst his hands dug into his pouch to withdraw some weapons, but at that moment, his attention was drawn by an appearance put in by Washin. All three of the Konoha nin drew themselves out of their attack stances and waited for the Iwa nin to explain his presence,

"Hatake-san, Ashikino-san requests your presence immediately." Washin said. Kakashi flicked his eye over to Raidou and Genma, both of whom apparently shared his dubiousness, but the Copy Nin nonetheless nodded and turned to replace his weapons away into his pouches and follow the aide; only a slight cock of his head gave his two teammates the sign to keep their eyes open to everything that wasn't as it seemed. Why would he need to be seen now? The negotiations had disbanded early, but even so, they would have been long over – the sun was already drooping below the horizon;

"Why does Ashikino-san want to see me?" Just as they stepped over the threshold of the  _sh _ō_ ji_, he subtly slipped his headband high enough that he'd be able to peer out with his sharingan, just in case. They traced their way down the narrow winding steps until they were back onto the central corridor of the building; their footsteps echoed – just as they had done every time they'd walked the wooden halls – in the otherwise silence and dead seeming edifice.

"He didn't elaborate, Hatake-san… please," Washin had always been a man of few words, but Kakashi didn't like the suddenness of such a request and with no indication of purpose; the Iwa nin gestured to the fusuma they halted in front of, "You may enter," Washin didn't join Kakashi in what turned out to be Ashikino's office, but he remained close by, just outside.

"Hatake-san, I'm sorry to trouble you so late in the evening, but it simply cannot wait until the morning," They both kneeled to sit down on two zabuton, whilst Kakashi took careful notes on the room he'd never been in before. It was of a traditional style with a low desk beneath the window and a modestly sized tansu on the adjacent wall – there was even a  _yoshizu_  [a non-hanging screen] set against one of the walls, it depicted a ninja battle – the first world war, Kakashi supposed; although the Leaf could not see why it would be in such a small room as this – unless it was for untoward purposes.

"The Lords are pleased with the progress made, Hatake-san, I believe that they are close to setting aside the worst of their differences."

"I'm pleased, Ashikino-san. I must admit, it's been a while since I'd negotiated with such high-ranking figures," The Copy Nin didn't like Peikou's smile – nothing good could be at the root of such a sour man's change of heart,

"Well, it certainly seemed that you weren't out of practice. Now, if we might turn our attention to this matter of your recent discovery."

"…Could you elaborate, Ashikino-san?"

"It would seem that you've stumbled across some relics, recently, after your visit to Uzu no kuni,"  _Here it was_ , "You took the Kyuubi with you and another ANBU aside from yourself…you remained on the island for almost a week and later, Konoha receives visitors from Uzu. You cannot deny this is suspicious behaviour."

"Why not? It's customary to visit your guests and begin diplomatic relations, is it not?"

"Uzu was destroyed years ago – there is no one left!"

"And you've had a sentry on the island for all these years making sure?" The ire that flashed over Peikou's face told Kakashi that his response wasn't appreciated,

"I have been very patient with you, Hatake-san, and Iwa with Konoha's arrogance for some time, if only because we were lacking in military might to fully challenge you, but we aren't completely useless and our eyes  _have_  seen ways in which to cause you trouble," Kakashi was ready to spring to his feet at a moment's notice,

"You should know, Ashikino-san, that I do not respond well to threats or bullies." Peikou jerked his chin out slightly, as though to deflect the comment, "And Konoha's decisions to form bonds with other countries are for Konoha to choose – if Iwagakure has such concerns then do you not think it would do well to voice them in a civilised setting?"

"Do not play your tricks with me, Copy Ninja, I've put up with your foolery only because the Lords did not notice, but I will not stand for it – if Konoha makes an alliance with Uzushio, Iwa will consider it an act of aggression,"

"On what grounds? There are no pacts stating against Uzushio - Konoha is well within rights to reforge the old alliance with the Hidden Village. But it  _will_  count as an act of aggression  _against Konoha_  if Iwa attempts to strike at their allies."

"…Funny that a man so quick to scare from a threat so easily deals them out." Peikou rebutted. It was very difficult  _not_  to dislike this man, Kakashi decided,

"I'm merely stating facts you seem to have forgotten, Ashikino-san. With Iwa in such a…  _fragile_  state, it would certainly be unwise to risk a conflict; besides, I had thought that by inviting me here to bring resolution to a squabble with your Lords, that Hidden Rock was finally wiling to show some trust, we are allies after all."

"Tentative ones."

"…You don't enjoy being allies of Konoha?"

"Do not be so high-and-mighty, Leaf; Iwa will crush you when the time is right," Ashikino's eyes had narrowed to mere slits and Kakashi didn't need a sensor's skill to detect the turbulent, rising chakra;

"But you are nowhere near there yet, Konoha is prepared to strengthen the ties with Iwa and help you regain your military might."

"More lies…why would you help a potential enemy get back on its feet?"

"You are not that foolish, Ashikino-san," It was starting to take real effort for Kakashi to remember his manners, "I know you understand the need for a degree of tension in order to keep the villages in their peak condition. Complacency does nobody any good, especially for ninja," The tension lulled, but the mistrust did not; the silence stretched for longer and longer, but no hint was give as to whether Kakashi had gotten through to the owlish man.

And when the  _snap_  came, it was a very nasty sound;

"We might be in a slump,  _Hatake-san_ , but we are not powerless – our eyes have been keeping watch over that little medic in Kumogakure, she's had her share of trouble too, apparently, and it seems we'll get more information from her than we will you. Interesting for the Copy Nin to be so careless win coordinating with a vulnerable  _ally_  – can we expect that same  _dutiful_  attention to detail if  _we_ became your allies?" Kakashi grit his teeth,

"Does Kumo know you're violating their borders?" He hadn't thought it possible for Peikou's eyes to  _glint_ , but it was creepy;

"You seem to think Kumo doesn't have eyes – they've been watching your shenanigans over Uzu too – and that little medic they've got running around after them, she's helped them immensely," Kakashi's chakra flared and he was on his feet in seconds, his hands flipping through a familiar set of seals to call his lightening chakra before he could think better of the move. But Peikou was a highly skilled ninja in his own right and his jutsu was half-complete before Kakashi'd even entered the room; the Copy Nin was forced to back up and cancel his jutsu as great spears of earth shot out from behind the screen.

One of which caught Kakashi in the ribs and he stumbled almost, though quickly recovered and again his sharingan proved its worth as he darted over the now solid mud spears to crack a punch over Peikou's jaw – something he'd been itching to do almost since he'd met the man. But Ashikino pulled back and flipped through more seals as his hands were momentarily out of sight, rebounding with a powerful water jutsu that Kakashi had only seconds to escape from – enough for him only to leap up and avoid the brunt of the wave as it twisted and wove within the space, seeking its wily prey.

The shinobi gathered his chakra to push off the solid beam which divided the wall in two, though supported it as the wave wasn't quick enough to catch him, it crashed into the wood and split it in half, dragging down half of the wall in a confusion of dust, noise and falling chunks of concrete. This gave Kakashi a moment to flick over to Peikou and attempt to cast a genjutsu upon him, but a second wall of water appeared between them, preventing any eye contact from occurring.

"Are you in alliance with Kumo, Ashikino? Did you set this up between yourselves to trap Konoha?"

"Don't be so conceited, this isn't  _just_  about Konoha, though we certainly won't complain if we can cripple a thorn in both our sides!" Kakashi didn't bother to keep the frown off his face as he created a kage bunshin before dipping his hand into his pouch and drew out a shuriken with attached wire which he handed to his clone.

Said faux-nin flung the projectile through the water wall and kept a solid tension on the wire as the real Kakashi darted off to the side and threw a kunai with attached kibakufuda at Peikou, who was forced to glance in the direction as he tried to evade the weapon, but in doing so, the Copy Nin caught him in his genjutsu and immediately he went rigid. The water, which had continued to swirl around the room like a foul-tempered beast, immediately appeared to lose its cohesion and escaped out of the gaping hole in the side of the room; a familiar figure appeared in the room as he flashed through hand seals.

A sudden swarm of birds separated the two nin, in the confusion and flapping and mess that was several hundred crows crammed into the small room, Kakashi recognised his friends jutsu, so backed off to allow him to do his work and the bodyguard specialist darted in front of Peikou to thrust a sudden katana through the confusion, catching the aide in the throat. Unfortunately it was not enough to kill him, but the jutsu had done its job and the three Leafs fled from gaping hole in the side of the building just a series of enormous explosions rocked the building – Genma's grin gave himself away as the culprit keeping the other Iwa nin from them.

The three Leaf shinobi were just as soon flying over the rooftops, Kakashi's sharingan working hard to feed a large-scale genjutsu to make them invisible to all but the most skilled of shinobi; it wasn't much and would fade within seconds as they passed by, but it gave them a vital head start nonetheless as they continued to hurry well away from the turbulent time in Iwagakure.

But, it would seem that the return journey home would prove just as tumultuous and demanding – Kakashi wasn't sure what gamble to take – go to Sakura and play into the hands of Kumo and Iwa who were looking for an excuse to strike at Konoha? Or return to the Hidden Leaf, report back all that he'd learned, allowing Tsunade to get a handle on the situation and take charge whilst he regained the valuable chakra he'd lost in the battle with Peikou whilst leaving Sakura vulnerable?

 

* * *

 

"So? How is she faring? It's been two weeks already, surely it's been enough time? We can't leave Uzushio unchecked any longer." The nin paced irritatedly with his hands behind his back as another nin lounged on the set of seven steps, which lead to the door, at one end of the "lived-in" room, cleaning and dousing a kunai with a vial of oddly coloured bluish liquid,

"Calm down, we need to give that bitch of a medic nin time to find all she can about the virus, otherwise we'll have wasted the opportunity." His voice was little more than a leisurely drawl, but the underlying confidence was a cool assured one, bred of certainty and depth of knowledge, rather than stupidity and ignorance; "And we've just given her more to figure out - you know this stuff takes time,"

"Fuck, I know but its taking ages, but this is crazy! Damn I wish we could speak to the 'eyes',"

"Asiro, you know we have no direct contact with our mole, that would be stupidly risky, but you know Yusai, he verifies  _everything_  before he brings it to us. We're well on course, the worst thing you could do would be to screw it up by being an idiot and rushing in." The more relaxed of the two shrugged as if to reassure what he'd said before redirecting his attention back to his kunai, "Besides, we need to wait until she'd found a cure so that we'll have a counter measure secured…we can't go release an illness on our target only to have them turn around with the vaccine already in their hands."

"Yeah… I know…" Asiro sighed, as the other grinned lightly to himself,

"See, that's why  _I'm_  the brains of this outfit–"

"–And I'm the secretary, I know, I know," The still-pacing nin rolled his eyes, ignoring his partner's laughter as a thought struck him, "Oh yea, how are we going to get a hold of her, anyway? She might be a medic and a girl, but she's no shinobi to sniff at… last time she flattened me for an entire week –  _even after_ being chakra-healed,"

"That's because you were stupid enough to move in whilst she still had some fight left; this test-run helps us in two ways, remember? She gives the answers we need  _and_ exhausts herself in the process, so when the time comes we'll just need to time it right and hit her with something that'll take more chakra than she'll have to heal with," Takarai, the still lounging nin spoke as his mind turned to the pink-haired kuniochi; despite his earlier words, he too lamented the fact he hadn't the opportunity to observe her for himself.

She was a highly skilled medic, head and shoulders above even her closest counterpart, with a matching physical and attack strength often forgotten by even the highest ranking medical ninjas. And already she had proven herself in dealing with the "crisis" in Kumogakure, in less than a week she'd accomplished more and gone about her investigation in a more intelligent fashion than the Kumo shinobi in charge of the hospital; it almost sent shivers down his spine at the thought of how events would play out with an enemy like that on his tail.

It had been so long since Takarai had had an equal sparring partner – and he longed to properly do battle with the kuniochi; he'd already agreed within himself, that he was going to make certain he got the opportunity to truly test the limits of her abilities.

"Asiro-san, Takarai-san, I have news of the medic nin you are watching; the recent outbreak in the Naikan Province had been brought under control and we believe that the kuniochi has gathered enough data for her to being making a vaccine. Here is a transcript of her conversation with one of her medical subordinates." Yusai held out a neatly bound scroll, which Asiro quickly took hold of and snapped open,

"I think she's done it…" Takarai gestured and Asiro flung the scroll at him,

"Not quite, but it's nothing that she won't be able to complete in our lab, is she on her way back to Kumo?"

"Hai, Asiro-san,"

"Then let's move – remember, we'll be in the middle of a busy ninja village, so that means _subtlety_ , got it? Yusai, is you team ready?"

"I just need to give them the word,"

"Then have them move into position, and inform me the second you set eyes on her. Remember, which way to send them?"

"Hai."

"Then get going – we'll reconvene at the agreed meeting point before we make any further moves." Takarai rose to his feet and closed the distance between himself and Yusai, "Here, these are five kunai with the special serum on, they'll work immediately, so if you get a shot, take it; but be careful! An overdose could easily kill her or make her useless to us, we need her brain in-tact, remember? Here's a small vial of anti-toxin, too, though I  _hope_  you'll bring this back to me untouched."

"Hai, Asiro-san, I have fully briefed my team. There will be no mistake."

"Excellent." He shot a glance at his friend and partner-in-crime, both of whom nodded to each other –  _it was about damn time_.

..

.


	22. Time To Roll The Dice... (Part 1)

 

Pakkun was not a young pup; he'd lived many long years and was a dog sure of himself – he knew his own self (little, a powerful sense of smell, rugged features and paws unrivalled in terms of softness and bounce) and with that knowledge he knew when he was outnumbered and outgunned. Here was a very good example of this. He hesitated for a few moments where Sakura's scent had led him – she was far outside of Hidden Cloud and was surrounded by a lot of other scents, most of which were very unfamiliar but there was one he recognised, though, from the hospital.

The small dog edged as close as he could to where he supposed the entrance was, it was guarded by two shinobi, both looked to be quite physically imposing, and they each had a long katana at their hips; they were dressed both in white jinbei tops and calf-length trousers. He was surprised to see them both stood rightly to attention – not slouching or giving any appearance that they'd been stood there for longer than a minute or two –  _have they sensed me? Impossible_ -

The ninken moved away and further around the rock face – into which the base had been carved, he suspected there would be no secondary exit or ungraded passage way, but it was likely there'd be some form of drainage system or ventilation shaft that might be enough for him to squeeze through – he needed to go and fetch back-up, but first he needed to see the state of the kuniochi: was she even still alive? It took a few minutes and more than a few flight-footed detours to avoid the many milling enemies around, but he indeed found a small grate which was high enough to be for ventilation. It was very firmly in place and Pakkun couldn't hope to sneak around it without the addition of Kakashi's  _doton_  chakra through a combination jutsu, so he settled for sticking his nose as far through the grate as he could manage and took a deep breath.

The poor dog did his mighty best not to cough and splutter at the stale air – and so draw attention to himself from his vantage spot – but it was a strong whiff of stale sweat, bad breath and food. Getting a grip on himself, the ninken more fully analysed the smells  _almost-_  he breathed in again and he just about caught the pink-haired kuniochi's scent – it wasn't strong, but neither was it stale, suggesting that she was at least alive. That made sense didn't it? If they went to the trouble of capturing her, she should still be alive?

Taking confidence from his reasoning and sparce evidence, the dog swivelled, waited for a moment until the coast cleared, and he darted off in a small blur of fuzzy brown; he wished he could let Sakura-chan know that he'd found her, but it wasn't an option. With any luck, he'd be able to return before anything too bad could befall her.

The ninken suddenly skidded to a halt as a thought occurred to him – he hadn't detected any of the scents of the Chuunin. Where were they? Surely they would not have taken the cowardly way and fled from Sakura? No, they were young, but not cowards; were they still in Kumo? Pakkun had picked up her scent on his return journey from Iwa and had been diverted by the freshness before he'd even entered the village, so was it possible, they were ignorant of her capture? The ninken raced off again – with luck, help might be even closer than he'd thought!

 

* * *

 

Sakura breathed a near audible sigh of relief as the gates of Kumogakure came into view – and that was something she thought would never happen. The place was just too alien to even give her the same sense of relief that was brought in on the coattails of prospective relief whenever she set eyes on the huge green gates of Konoha. Kumo was a little bit like Leaf – for one they were both in moderate climates and were of a relatively similar size in terms of square kilometres, but it was the little things that got to her. The lack of trees growing every which way ( _through_  some buildings on occasion, in her home village), the lack of the great stone faces of the Kage Mountain overlooking the day-the-day business, the usually once-a-day hug from a grinning Naruto was (whilst it was occasionally irritating, more often than not he couldn't help but put a smile on her face) left an obvious gap.

And there definitely was too much eel Kumo!

Still, on this occasion, Kumo signified the final stage in her fight against this illness and all she really had left to do was report to the Raikage and begin a large scale cultures of the proto-vaccine she'd come close to perfecting. She couldn't believe it had taken her so long to get her mind around something she'd initially overlooked: the illness was not a bacterial problem, but a  _viral_  one – so it was obvious the initial cultures had failed, and why traditional medicines hadn't worked. The bacteria they'd picked up on in the infected, was a red herring – and were merely vectors for the viruses.

"Hello, Asato-san." She offered wearily as the guard grinned back and made a note of a nearby slip paper.

"Hello, Sakura-san… back from Naikan Province already?"

"Yes, but I managed to get a grip on the illness there; hopefully I can do the same for here in Kumo too."

"Not so fast, you look so tired, you should rest first Sakura-san – besides, the hospital can take care of the patients." She shook her head at his simple words,

"No can do, Asato-san, there's far too much to get done," He smiled kindly again and leaned in to whisper to her,

"Well, if you've got to get back, then let me tell you something – there's some hold-up down the main street, close-by where the hospital is; no body's injured but it'll take ya a while to get past – nobody's allowed over the roofs either…go down by the side streets, you know where Hei's pub is? You should slip right past without any trouble!" He winked amiably at her and she nodded in return,

"Thanks Asato-san!"

"Wait, Sakura-Taichou, that is a very indirect route to the hospital… it will take quite some time," Ikori spoke up, his instincts telling him there was some falsity in the man's words and manner, although he couldn't pinpoint what exactly;

"Right, it will – but you'll still be some hours quicker than getting caught in that fray." Asato added. Ikori frowned and continued to hesitate whilst Sakura passed by him, apparently not seeing the same problem that Ikori could. The entire group continued on past the guard and into Kumo as the Konoha Chuunin tried to find a way to articulate his worries, Asato half turned to watch them walk away and allowed his eyes to glance up at a figure well hidden in the shadows of the eves on a nearby roof; all but the most imperceptible of nods was issued from him as the figure disappeared completely from sight –  _we're on._

"Sakura-Taichou–"

"Please Ikori-kun, we're almost there, can't this wait?"

"No! I didn't like that man at the gate, Sakura-Taichou, there was something off about him."

"I agree," Uruki piped up, "He was definitely a bit shifty," Sakura sighed – silently prayed for strength – and turned to face them,

"And what exactly do you expect me to do with 'shifty'? I can't go and beat him up for seeming a little strange, can I? And besides, we've passed him on our every trip in and out of Kumo, you didn't seem to mind him too much then," Sakura was too tired to focus on what wasn't right in this situation – her subordinates worried about somebody, but she hadn't noticed a thing? That was definitely a new one, but she just couldn't seem to direct her attention properly.

"But Saku–"

"When we're back at the hospital…I've got to start making notes on my findings and begin making fresh cultures," She rubbed her forehead between the pads of her index and thumb stressfully; when was the last time she'd felt this drained? This many steps behind on things? It wasn't a pleasant feeling – and Uruki took advantage of it,

"Permission to go back and speak to the guardsman, Sakura-Taichou. I promise not to threaten him or make it obvious in any way that he is under suspicion… please, by the time we get to the hospital, the window of opportunity may have closed,"  _What opportunity?_  Sakura vaguely wondered, though she nodded without giving away her confusion,

"…Very well, Shinji, you go with him and I'm holding you both to that promise, Uruki –  _no threats_  to him, got it? Don't draw any more attention to yourselves than the absolute minimum. Ikori, I need you with me at the hospital. You can meet us there when you're both done."

"Hai, Taichou," Both combat specialist Chuunin darted away leaving the kuniochi with Ikori, he didn't allow the silence to linger too long between them as they turned down a second, shadowy alley way,

"Taichou, you're utterly drained…you need to go and rest for a few hours – you haven't done so for days, I can start on the cultures and have them ready to analyse when you wake up,"

"No." She shook her head stubbornly, "I can't falter now, just a few more hours work, that's all." Ikori's brows furrowed again,

"You've said that before, and then you've crashed…" She span around to speak her (no doubt scathing) rebuttal, but the shinobi continued, "A few hours will not hinder our progress, Sakura-Taichou, but you fatigued beyond your limit and beginning to make mistakes  _will_  hold us back," He softened his voice slightly as Sakura sighed in acquiescence, "You know this, Taichou, why are you being so stubborn?"

"I just… want to be done with this damned mission."

 

Ikori couldn't help but crack a slight grin – he too was missing home, but as he opened his mouth to speak, Sakura suddenly shot backwards and her hand appeared at her neck, grabbing the small, flighted dart out of the air, Ikori too snapped into action and turned to face the direction from where the dart had originated from. Sakura forced herself to summon what chakra she could and leapt forward, up to the roof in front of her where the dart had been thrown from. There was a strange lack of movement from anywhere, the kuniochi moved cautiously, although she snapped into her fighting instincts, the back of her mind was screaming:  _not now!_

Ikori leapt up to his Captain's side with a kunai in his hand and a tenseness in his muscles – how idiotic had they been to allow Shinji and Uruki to leave them – even in the apparent safety of Kumo? They were assigned to this mission for the sake of protecting Sakura!

"Calm down, Ikori, you know panicking will do no good here – focus on the battle." Sakura said, as if she'd read his mind.

"Dammnit, I  _know_!" He growled under his breath, unable to hide his frustration, despising how useless he felt at that moment,

" _Aww_ , little Genin's scared of a fight?" A gratingly condescending voice cooed from behind them; they span around to come face-to-face with a nin they hadn't seen before. He looked to be about Sakura's age, if not a little older – his hair was a dirty blonde and scruffy in places, but his eyes were keen and missed no details about the prey in front of him.

"Who are you?" She demanded, eyeing him with equal attention;

"Nobody… but you, little kuniochi are very important, so I'll ask you, sweetly, to come with me."

"No deal." She spat and he put on a pout, which under other circumstances, might have been amusing;

"Well, then, I guess we're gonna have to take you with us, won't we?" Sakura's eyebrows twitched as she both took in what had been said and became aware of the two other shinobi who landed silently on the roof.  _Kuso_  – she was almost at her exhaustion limit, she'd been right on the edge for so long that it wouldn't take much for her to stumble right over and a fight now could well be the treacherous rocks beneath her fatigued footfalls.

With only grace and timing that a Jounin could achieve, the kuniochi almost threw herself to the ground as the first of a volley of kunai was thrown and whizzed past her ear, she pivoted on the ball of her foot and pushed off with it, becoming a blur of crimson as she dived forward, her chakra charged fist connecting with the man's chest – flinging him backwards. At the same time Ikori, too joined the worsening situation lashing out with the kunai in his hand as well as his swiftly summoned chakra; he watched as their primary attacker flung his own blade in retaliation, though it missed Ikori, he was swift in following up with a chakra-charged shuriken and his hands flipping through the seals for one of his signature jutsus.

Sakura herself leant to take on the incoming strike from the second assailant – who dodged out of the way of a kunai that tore past her throat, severing a lock of hair as it went; ignoring it for the moment, she took advantage of the fact it provided a distraction and she flipped her hands through a Goukakkyuu and forced the nin well away from her. Just as she pulled at her chakra again, she jolted and found her knees weak and her breathing laboured; she raised a hand to damp she could feel at her neck and found blood covering her fingers,

"Wh-what?" Her knees gave out and her battle-focus shifted to her eyelids, which felt as though they'd been magnetised to each other; "What have you…" The Leaf kuniochi crumpled into unconsciousness on the roof and the nin slowed his next attack to a halt and looked up at his partner, Takarai, who out-manoeuvred Ikori and thrust a poisoned kunai into his abdomen. The boy slumped almost as quickly as he'd realised what had happened.

"Mission accomplished. Let's go." The dirty blonde smirked to Asiro, just as they both hoisted the two unconscious nin into their arms ad leapt away before they could attract any unwanted attention.

 

* * *

 

"Tsunade-sama!" The Hokage's hand jerked in surprise at the sudden call, spilling a splash of saké from the small porcelain cup she was raising to her lips in the process; she silently cursed to herself as the spilt alcoholic beverage soaked into – and smudged – the presumably important words from an official document.  _Kuso_ , either she was slowing down in her old age, or maybe she'd had one to many bottle of saké this afternoon already.

"Raidou?" She directed her attention to the grubby and surprisingly sweaty shinobi before her, panting as though the devil himself had been at his heels; "What in  _Kami-sama's–"_

"Please, Tsunade-sama, allow me to explain… The negotiations went successfully, but they were a rouse, as suspected…Kakashi-Taichou did very well in resolving the problems of the Lords, but during that time, apparently Iwa had used it to stall for time – from what Kakashi-Taichou told me about on the way from Earth Country, they have been watching our alliance with Uzushio and they are worried about it. Equally they have been collaborating with Kumo to strike at Uzushio and Konoha."

" _What?-!"_  Tsunade shouted incredulously at the shinobi, who nodded; "Where are Kakashi and Genma now? Why are you reporting in?"

"Kakashi-Taichou was worried about Sakura-san; he and Genma-san continued on to Kumo – apparently Ashikino-san, our primary aide whilst in Iwa, referenced and threatened her." Tsunade's eyes darkened as she rested her elbows and clasped her hands beneath her chin;

"This is very bad; what state has Sakura been in?"

"Exhausted, by the sound of it. Pakkun arrived in Iwagakure the day before we left, reporting that Sakura-san was ostensibly well, though tired."

"She had no idea that Kumo had any ties to Iwa?"

"As far as we know, none."

"Damn. What's the expected situation with Sakura? I can't imagine they'll do anything whilst they still need her to help with the outbreak."

"I am not certain, I've heard nothing so far," Tsunade's eyebrows pinched into a tight furrow, easily telegraphing her worry at the situation, "Kakashi feared that she would be targeted once she'd helped them enough."

"All right, I'll put together a small team to go in and follow Kakashi and Genma, I'll send a hawk to forewarn him and get his side of the story; good work, Raidou. Before I dismiss you, is there anything from your mission that is especially urgent or that directly relates to Sakura and her mission?" Raidou thought for a moment but shook his head,

"Iie, Tsunade-sama, I cannot think of anything else."

"Once Sakura, Kakashi and Genma are back safely, I'll call you all in for a thorough debrief, but I think it can wait for now; go and get some rest, Raidou."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama, thank you," The seasoned nin bowed politely before tuning on his heel and marched from the room as the Hokage simultaneously rummaged for a blank scroll and a pen as she shouted for Shizune;

"Hai, Tsunade-sama?"

"Go and fetch me Kiicha from Intel and have her get Ikomaru ready for flight." The assistant nodded and marched away to the aviary without hesitation as the Hokage continued her scribbling. The Hokage couldn't quite fight back her gnawing worry at the thought she might not have seen through a potentially lethal situation for one of her best shinobi – and one she loved as a daughter.

 

* * *

 

By the time Sakura managed to claw her way back to consciousness, she became immediately aware of a number of things that were bizarre – first, she was  _groggy_  – a grogginess that was far above simple fatigue or injury, it was a lethargy alien to her. Adding to her confusion, was the feel of soft bedding beneath her – she'd been captured, hadn't she? So why was she on a bed? Her muscles protested painfully as she tried to move – it took a moment (of utilising her full shinobi training) to muster the strength to pull herself onto her side and forced her body upright.

Her eyes weighed heavily as she jerked them back open after blinking a few times; she didn't recognise the room, not that there was much to see. There was a small bedside table next to the futon, and the wall was only about two or three feet from her – the bed butting right up to the other three walls; as the kuniochi managed to clear her head a little with her more vertical position, she realised that neither her hands nor her feet were bound.  _Immediately suspicious_. She reached for her chakra to find only dregs left… _shit…what the hell am I in now…_

Sakura had never been in such a position before – granted, she'd only ever been captured once and had been exceptionally lucky to escape with little more than a few physical scars – as well as a few psychological scars, too, of course, but the overall outcome  _could have_  been far worse than what it was. Even so, her experiences at that time, of having been captured by Fang Country nin had been of a fairly typical standard: days spent in the dark with no food or drink, harsh interrogations, physical beatings and the use of pain to loosen tongues – the fairly standard practice along with the additional use of chakra suppressors.

It had been both the longest and the worst six days of her life as a shinobi – and had taken some time to get over – but once she'd come to terms with it, she knew how lucky she'd been to survive, and she'd learnt a lot that made her stronger…but right now, apparently being treated to a bed, no restrains and no physical beatings, as yet, was not easy to deal with.

The sudden - _snap-_  of the lock on the door being twisted had the kuniochi almost jumping in surprise, though just as quickly, she breathed a slow exhale and forced her composure – as well as a neutral face.

"Well, looks like princess is awake!" He was a weasely looking man – for being a shinobi – and was not one of the ones who'd captured her, at least; he was carrying a small tray with him which he set on the edge of the bed. Sakura, reacting on instinct, held her eyes in his direction but averted from his, carefully reading every movement and signal from him; her posture was diminutive and quiet: taking no chances.

The man had a definite  _presence_  about him – it wasn't the most arrogant Sakura had come across, though it was assured and confident –  _unwise to push him_ , she thought. He said nothing, only staring at her for a few moments before he turned to leave and left her in silence, with only the echo of the solid metal door slamming to keep her company. As soon as he'd gone she turned her attention to the tray he'd left – there sat three bowls, one was tea, another rice and the third was full of steamed vegetables. Not bad for prison food.

The medical kuniochi examined her food very carefully and meticulously as she searched for any possibly signs of poisoning or tampering; Sakura wondered, though, what the point would be of offering her comfort – in the form of being in a room, with a bed, not being bound and even provided with food. There were a few senarios that ran through her head at the thought, but her instinct told her that her capture had been more to with her recent work at the hospital… but there was still the potential for all of this to be an elaborate psychological trick.

She drew in a deep breath – panicking would do no good. She needed to remain calm and tackle her problems in a logical order. First:  _get a grip!_

 

* * *

 

Takarai looked the 'eyes' up and down blandly, utterly unimpressed by the sight before him – no wonder their intel had been less than detailed, to say the least. He was young and scrawny looking with odd ruddy hair and a disposition like petulant child – trying to pretend he was arrogant and self-assured, but so obviously feared the unknown. Authority, especially. He wouldn't be hard to break in, but whether it would be worth keeping him around was another story. He was useful in his position within Kumo, hospitals were good places for intel and weren't difficult to infiltrate, but even so, he was just a nurse and pretending to be a civilian one at that – he'd never be privy to high enough information.

Takarai took a step closer and locked eyes with the boy, "Nakou Senri; junior nurse at Kumo Central Hospital, civilian according to his files and a child born of Nakou Katan and Shia Juko." Senri's face clearly displayed his irritation at have his personal information recited like he was some sort of experiment,

"Anything  _else_  you'd like to add?"

"Yes. Tell me about the medical kuniochi,"  _That didn't take long_ , Senri thought, with a smug smirk – he wasn't going to make it easy for this bastard.

"What do you want to know?"

"What colour panties did she wear?" Takarai asked without missing a beat – far too smoothly for Senri to keep his cool and the young nurse chocked on his own spit,

"Wh-what?"

Takarai smirked, "Don't play stupid games with me kid, you're no match." With that, he was grabbed by the hair and yanked towards the elder nin, his voice brimming with venom, "You will tell me everything about that kuniochi,  _everything_ , when and how I want to hear it, got it?" Senri gulped and offered a half nod as he was thrown backwards to a heap on the floor; rattling the boy's brain further, he was jerked to his feet by his collar, " _Well_?" It took every scrap of Senri's courage, but he managed to purse his lips, telling of his reluctance.

A sharp breath of lethal irritation cut through the silence as Takarai's patience wore as thin as Senri's lips and – quite rightly – the nurse feared for his safety, if not his life. Asiro too raised from his seat on the bench and rounded on the mutual target, both men's chakra's flaring. Senri too tried to call upon his own – having been gifted in the inherent skills of chakra, but with no formal training – and facing two-on-one, his odds were not looking good.

Still, he instinctively called upon his chakra, silently, to reinforce the strength in his bones, muscles and organs as best he could and prepared for the first blow. Which came from Yusai – behind Senri – which caught the boy by surprise and jerked him forward with a strike to his back; Asiro followed up with a hateful knee to the nurse's chest and a karate chop to the back of his neck. Where it not for his chakra strengthening, his neck would probably have snapped from the force of the bow.

_Why was he being so stubborn about this again?_  Right, because they'd treated him – and still were treating him – like dirt after all that he'd done for them. He wasn't a fool and knew he was dealing with dirty men when they'd approached him, but their agreement to his deal of training him to utilise his chakra had been enough to tempt him but he made sure to play his cards close. It wasn't easy to remember his resolve as he took another blow to the jaw and a punch to the ribs – and his chakra strengthening failed and collapsed to the floor.

Dredging his final reserves of mettle, before submitting to the vicious kicks and strikes he was taking at the hands of the trio – he forced his chakra to mould to his hands and, as his arm shot out, his hand nearly became fire, so it burned and cauterised the ankle of Takarai. The elder nin screamed and swore at the surprising attack and fell backwards, making way for Asiro to fall victim to a similar one – though from Senri's fire-knee.

It was at this point that Yusai sighed, rolled his eyes and joined the fray, damn boy needed to learn his place.

..

.


	23. ...And Pray For No Snake Eyes (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck it, double update today because why not?

 

"Kakashi," Genma, called impatiently, "Take it easy, you know Sakura can handle herself," They'd stopped only because they'd had to, being almost at the Oto[Rice Fields (Sound)] border; they'd decided to wait for the cover of night to cross over the still lingeringly hostile territory. Orochimaru may, for all intents and purposes, be dead but he had had more incarnations than a Buddhist deity, and his followers had never truly given up his way of ruling. (Though whether this was due to fear or the desire for an equal power, was never terribly clear – but the fact remained: a criminal was a criminal, intelligence and resourcefulness were the only deciding factors in whether to bother taking any notice of them.)

All that, of course, and the fact they were technically trespassing through their territory. But maybe Tsunade – or any one – didn't need to know that just yet.

"I know she can, but how long had we wasted in Iwa, believe their plight genuine, when all the time Sakura could have been facing enemies? With only Chuunin for backup?" The Copy Nin's voice was, of course, cool and sturdy as his general demeanour, but nothing riled the man like the thought of someone attacking his own;

"Well you can be certain that it will have only been  _after_  Pakkun left, right? Otherwise he'd have said something, even if it was only a suspicion." Genma was right, but-

"It will have taken Pakkun at least three or four days of running at top speed to reach us from Kumo – assuming he encountered no problems."

"So what? That's four days out – plus the one he staying in Iwa whilst you fannied about with some supposed  _grandmother_  of yours." Genma slightly scoffed, earning a sharp breath of irritation from the fellow Jounin, "Plus another four that he'd have to travel back.  _Maximum_. That's not that bad, Kakashi."

"And even if something happened whilst he was there, what do you think Pakkun could do?"

"…He's a talking dog, that's gotta be a good surprise tactic, right?" The tokabetsu Jounin just couldn't resist  _that_  one!

"For goodness sake-"

"Kakashi, firstly, stop treating Sakura like a child, she's a goddamn Jounin  _medic_ , she's elite at combat, evasion and healing, there are few better at simply surviving than Jounin medics, you know that! But even so, she has got a decent team with her – Tsunade wouldn't have sent a bunch of fools with her prized student, you know that, too. Besides, if you knew Pakkun wouldn't be much help on the combat side of things, when why didn't you send one of the others, like Bull?" Kakashi couldn't help his face from flopping into a deeply unimpressed stare as he turned his head to look at Genma – the unspoken response as to why it would have been a stupid idea hung in the air; but before Kakashi could formulate his irritated response, a though struck him.

Why hadn't he sent the entire pack to catch up to Sakura, yet? They could already have been there by now!  _You're a damned fool, that's why!_

"Kuso!" The Jounin swore softly even as he began to flip his hands through the seals and mould his chakra, which was still low and it fought him to not be used,

"What?" Genma leaned down off the balls of his feet, onto one knee as he turned to the shinobi beside him, worried at Kakashi's attempt to use further chakra, he was still exhausted – and they'd been running less than flat out, but faster than Genma had really approved of. A great plume of smoke suddenly erupted from nowhere right in front of them and seven nin dogs appeared in front of them; Kakashi wasted no time in briefing them and they were gone in a flash.

"There – they'll help Sakura, no problem; Raidou's gone to inform Tsunade and we're on our way…you've gotta relax, Kakashi. You've been way too tense over this entire mission;" A wicked grin slinked over the tokabetsu's lips, "We weren't pulling you away from something back in Konoha, were we? With a certain pink haired medic?" Kakashi grunted his continual irritation with the elder Jounin.

Though that didn't mean the cheekier of the two didn't miss silver-hair's ultimate lack of response. And neither did Kakashi.

 

* * *

 

Her purple hair flowed out freely from behind her as she crouched on the eves of the house opposite; her eyes were trained carefully upon the two Chuunin bickering in the room.  _How had they still to act?_  She was slightly amazed at their ignorance of their teammate – and Captain's – whereabouts. She would sooner have left them behind completely, but she did need their help – and she couldn't hope to act without them… or so her Raikage had commanded, which caused her to shudder slightly, she'd rather not face his wrath. Sighing slightly she darted across the distance and hoped onto the windowsill before entering the aperture; both Leafs reacted immediately, dropping to defensive stances with kunai drawn and chakra at the ready – though their surprise was all too evident.

"Who the hell are you?" Shinji hissed, watching the kuniochi, kitted in completely black gear, along with a loose scarf over her lower face – only her long purple hair and her eyes really showing, as she rose to her full height. She looked frustratingly relaxed, too;

"Calm down, boys, I'm here as an ally." Neither of the two Chuunin moved, she sighed, "I'm a Kumo shinobi and have been working undercover at the hospital under orders of the Raikage," Uruki rolled his eyes,

"I'm sure you're life story's terribly interesting, but I have bigger problems right now." His voice was condescendingly dismissive as he rose out of his stance, now assuming her no threat; the kuniochi narrowed her eyes slightly,

"Like wondering where your Captain is?"

"What?-!" Both suddenly looked a lot more interested, drawing an unseen smirk from her, "What the hell do you know?"

"Well, you  _did_  say you had more important things to do…" She turned as though to leave but found a kunai at her throat,

"You'll tell us everything that you know, immediately," Within a split second, she'd disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the room,

"That the best you've got?"

"We haven't time for this!" Uruki shouted impatiently, as he began form hand seals preparing a jutsu to strike at the kuniochi, unsure what her problem was, but he was definitely on edge from his captain's and teammate's absence. The kuniochi herself clapped her hands together and span them through the seals faster than either Chuunin could follow, before either could react, two great columns of air rose up and trapped the two Leafs within them.

The winds were miniature tornados, great twisting currents of air that blurred the nin's vision; Shinji pulled a kunai out in attempt to disrupt the flow, but as he jammed the tip of the blade into the wall of air in front of him, it was nearly ripped from his hand and half the blade was lost to the swirling winds.

"Careful, you might lose an arm next time,"

"Let us out, goddamnit!" Uruki yelled, earning only a smirk from the kuniochi,

"You'll need to cool those tempers of yours first, Leafs. I need to get to your Captain, but I'll need some extra muscle, as well – you two are the logical choice, but if you can't behave I'll have to leave you behind." She stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for the equally vengeful torrent of insults to pass before she spoke again, when a sudden blur of movement darted into the room.

"Shinji! Uruki! Ikor- what?" The dog cried as he took in the situation; the purple haired kuniochi stared incredulously at a haitai-ate wearing, talking dog… _what the hell?_  "Who are you and why are my comrades captive?"

"They keep trying to attack me." She replied, a little off guard,

"Well…"

"I know about your Captain's capture and I have an idea where they went, and I want these two's help, but they're quite uncooperative,"

Pakkun hesitated a moment – this was certainly an unprecedented development. "Why would you know where she is?"

"I've been working undercover at the hospital for the Raikage – I think we have a mutual enemy."

Pakkun couldn't smell any deceit on her but he still erred on the side of caution, "I recognise you…but that by itself don't mean anything,"

She offered a wry smile, "No, it doesn't,"

"Well, we have to do something – set them free and let's get going – we're accomplishing nothing by staying here, at the end of the day, there's two of them and one of you,"

"And look at where I have them," The kuniochi grinned again, though clapped her hands together and released the jutsu just the same; both Chuunin flopped out sputtering and coughing from the sudden change in air pressure around them. "I can't believe out of this entire mission, the one who's spoken the most sense is the dog."

Pakkun humphed in irritation at being subtly called a common animal, but brushed it aside, "Let's get going; there's no time to spare."

 

* * *

 

It had been an unusually long time before Sakura had so much as  _heard_  sign on another person within whatever compound she was being held in; by that time, her body-clock supposed that another day and night had passed. Still, she hadn't wasted the time, and had used her time alone to plan and predict as though her life depend on it – which it most likely did. In her capture and interrogation training over the years (and from her own previous experiences) she knew that acting rashly would get her nowhere; she needed to play her cards right and wait until they made the first move. Of course, the primary reasons for capturing an enemy shinobi – outside of wartime – was to gather information and hinder the enemy as a whole; working on that premise, apparently the epidemic in Kumo had gathered more interested (other than the obvious reasons) than anyone had anticipated.

So who was profiting from the widespread illness that they'd go to the extent of capturing her? It was fairly unlikely to be the Raikage – after all he'd requested help from Konoha and she was due to report to him in three days… or rather, today. Besides, even if it was a ruse, the bolshy village leader would never stand for such underhanded or "cowardly" methods. It was entirely possible that whoever ransacked her office was responsible for her capture as well. But she'd had no leads on that, well, unless Senri's wild accusations about the purple-haired nurse. He'd seemed very over-the-top and desperate to pin blame on her specifically, when Sakura had heard no other complains about the woman – or even mentions of her counted and certainly nothing had made the kuniochi suspicious, herself. Rarely did she even set eyes on the nurse.

With the exception of having seen her in Naikan province. That was the only thing keeping her from dismissing Senri's words entirely.

Sakura took a deep breath in and out, trying to focus her mind on all the occasions that she'd had any reason to note the nurse – she did so far more often than she otherwise would have simply because of Senri's chirping about her, but even so, it was only really inconspicuous of places – at the nurses' station, in the primary wards, in the major corridors. If she had to choose, she'd have found Senri's choice of place to hang out more suspicious – but that could be explained by his closeness to her? An easy excuse.

The door was suddenly jerked slightly, the snap of the lock had Sakura calming herself as it was wrenched open as Sakura was greeted by the sight of the same weasly man. He wasted no time in gripping her upper arm and dragging her out of the door. She didn't initially offer any protest, though neither did she willing walk beside him, she offered only passive resistance – until she had a better idea of what to expect. The lulling of enemy into a false sense of security worked both ways. The kuniochi carefully mapped all of the twists and turns of the corridors as she was dragged down them, along with all of the windows present; it was lighter than her cell, but it was still very dim –  _were they underground?_

Eventually, she was led into a large open chamber, it was rectangular in nature, with two rows of pillars down either side of a concave ceiling, a small set of steps led down to the room. Along the two sides, behind the pillars and butted up against the walls were two elongated desks – covered in all manner of equipment, paper and glassware, along with a couple of stools dotted around.

"Ah, there you are, I do apologise for the delay, Sakura-chan," _He finally makes his appearance._  The kuniochi thought humourlessly; the man at her elbow let go with a wave of the blonde's hand and stood to attention at the door, a step or two behind her. Sakura herself took a slow step forward, feeling it now time to begin testing some boundaries – and get some answers,

"Where's Ikori?"

"Who?" Takarai raised an eyebrow as he continued to slowly amble his way cross the room towards her,

"Akeyou Ikori; my subordinate who was with me when you captured us."

"Oh,  _him_. Yea, a bit of a loser – I questioned him two days ago, when he woke up, about the vaccine but he refused to cooperate, so I killed him."

"Wh- _what?_ "

Takarai seemed to take great pleasure in her moment of shock and horror, "That's right; you were the ultimate brains behind the operation, he was just an errand boy and not someone I needed taking up space." He looked utterly cool and nonplussed as he spoke, as though he'd merely thrown out a sack of rubbish, rather than a body. Sakura's lips pursed into a thin line as her primary questions had indeed been answered – but in one of the worst ways;

"You're not serious."

"I am," He rejoined cheerfully, "C'mon, you know he was a waste of space – not a  _patch_ on your medical prowess." Compliments from the enemy was always a thing to be cautious of.

"Were you the one to trash my office?"

Takarai's eyes glinted slightly, the tiniest of smiles tugging at his lips; he was now stood just in front of her, "Close, but not quite."  Sakura couldn't resist cocking her head ever so slightly as she mulled over the possibilities; Takarai didn't wait, though he turned his back to her and began to walk away from her, "You are so close, so very close to a cure for this epidemic. You've achieved what other had thought was impossible – and saved hundreds of lives in the process, you know. It's a real bitch of an illness, isn't it?" He looked back at her from over his shoulder with a knowing smirk on his lips, "I should know, I did create it after all." Sakura couldn't keep her eyebrows from shooting up, almost to her hairline at that statement (and for her, that was pretty impressive);

" _You?_ "

"You sound shocked." The nin deadpanned in response, obviously unimpressed,

"I am, you…" Sakura had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from finishing the sentence (which was going to be  _'you just look like such a deadbeat_ ') "If you created the virus, why would you need my help for a cure?"

"A cure wasn't on my agenda. No purpose," He shrugged and Sakura's sharp breath of irritation was a near-silent insult;

"Why? Do you think you'll somehow never be infected?"

"Such a simplistic question…" The nin drawled, though the kuniochi suspected it was little more than a cover, rather than a legitimate response; "But onto more important matters, I do apologise for the delay in getting to you, Sakura-chan, but I'm afraid getting information out of my mole wasn't as easy as I'd anticipated and his lack of cooperation held me up." The blonde sighed whilst picking at his nails,

"He? So it was Senri?" His eyes flashed up to hers,

"Nothing gets by you, does it? Never mind, I'll tell you – you're going to continue working on the vaccine from here – I want a complete analysis of your cell cultures, how you developed the vaccine from start to finish and everything that you've discovered about the structure of the virus and its vectors, when you're done." For every ounce of assuredness and authority Takarai was oozing, Sakura face was the picture – in a directly proportional quantity – of incredulity. This man was off his rocker.

"For what possible reason do you think that I'll do  _anything_  for you?" She resisted the urge to put her hands on her hips; the blonde leaning against the pillar across the room frowned deeply,

"You will do as I say,"

"Or what?"

"I'll leave that to your imagination. You'll find everything you need on these benches. Get to work."

 

* * *

 

Uruki couldn't believe it had taken so long for them to get to where Sakura was being held; Shinji seemed to enjoy too much trying to catch Kazuko – the purple haired Kumo nin – out and trip her up, whilst not really taking on board the important things she was saying, like the fact she seemed to know about the base, in quite some detail, where their Captain was, and possibly Ikori, too. Eventually, the Chuunin had had enough of their increasingly irritating squabbling and nearly flattened Shinji with a punch to the back of his head,

"Shut  _up_! Shinji get a damn grip, we've got to find Sakura-Taichou and Ikori and to do that, we need this woman's help."

"Ite, ite," The slightly younger Chuunin cursed as scrubbed his hand over the throbbing patch of his skull, scowling at the sound of Kazuko's laughter,

"You both need to shut up, unless you want everyone in Kaminari no kuni to hear us!" Uruki snapped, jabbing his finger in the kuniochi's direction, attempting to sound as threatening as possible, although the kuniochi merely continued to stare at him with an amused smirk, though she did relent after a few moments and refocus on peering out from their hide.

"When I was first here, I did a little scout of the area and I think that there's only one primary entrance and exit to these caves. So when we go in, you'll have to make a big enough distraction to allow Sakura-chan and Ikori-kun to escape – they might be injured and there's not enough of us to split into two groups evenly. The three of you create a diversion and I'll go in search of Sakura-chan. Got it?" Pakkun looked back to the group and, upon seeing their unimpressed frowns, he bet they were all thinking the same thing:  _who put the dog in charge?_

"…Fine," Uruki grumbled first, "That's the best option we have – afterwards we'll all split up and take random directions away, hopefully destroying or covering any trail Sakura-Taichou and Ikori might have left,"

"Agreed."

"As soon as Sakura-chan and Ikori-kun are out, I'll come back to find you." Pakkun continued

"Good. Then let's get on with this, and hopefully put this crappy mission to rest." The three nin tensed, ready to move as Pakkun sniffed the air,

"Now's as good a time as any – might I suggest some kibakufuda to get the party started?" He said,

"…" Pakkun gave an amused snort at the nin's silence as he strung some tags to a few shuriken as they moved to a better position to begin their attack; Uruki waited for a moment, "Shinji and Kazuko you both rush in first and attack, but make sure to keep a corridor between you for me to throw the shuriken," Both of them sighed a little, but nonetheless complied.

The two guards weren't caught completely unawares and managed to avoid the worst of Shinji's Goukakkyuu, though they weren't expecting the follow up of Kazuko's wind chakra, which suddenly inflamed the fireball to gigantic proportions and singed the edges of the nin, forcing their attention off their enemies and momentarily onto their own safety, allowing for the window of opportunity. At the same time Uruki launched his exploding tags, Shinji darted forward and drove his fist into the first enemies jaw, at the same moment the tags detonated. Uruki rushed forward, ready to tackle the other shinobi alerted to their presence by the explosion; the fighting was messy in such a crampt space and for their desire to not get stuck too deeply within the cave, lest the found themselves trapped. But their siege still had to look convincing.

Pakkun had darted away immediately and Uruki busied himself with flattening the pompous looking nin in front of him with orange hair and a long katana, his strokes broad and flamboyant for the narrow space of the base entrance and one more than one occasion, the nin almost clipped Kazuko, who was fighting nearby. The aperture kept on narrowing as crashes of jutsu chipped at the walls and began to bust at the seams as the rock struggled to contain their power; hair, clothes and skin was singed and rocked by violent jutsu that sought only destruction, that were continually hurled at each other.

Uruki almost lost himself in the fighting and he couldn't tell how much time had passed until he could begin to feel his lungs grow heavy and his chakra start to slow. Increasing numbers of enemy nin had begun to join in and the Leafs were having a hard time telling each other apart from the others in the fray; the ninken, too, had re-joined them in their fight some time ago, the blood on him was telling.

"We've got to go – we can't handle anymore until our reinforcements arrive!" The little dog cried out, earning a triumphant smirk from one or two of the enemy nin, who apparently couldn't see underneath the underneath. The shinobi in him told him to keep on fighting regardless, but realistically, Uruki knew this wasn't a good plan – they'd given Sakura and Ikori enough time to escape now it was time for them to do the same.

"Come on, we've got to get out of here! Shinji! Kazuko!" Shinji did as he was called and began to make his way out, ducking and rolling to avoid blades, punches and the occasional fireball – likewise the kuniochi made her way out too and they were soon free back to the open air; it wasn't easy – Uruki knew Shinji was at his side so he didn't look back until they were well into the tree cover, whilst dodging the whizzing kunai and sebon around them.

A sudden, sharp bark and a flurry of movement had the two nin slam to a halt as they were suddenly surrounded by four, large dogs – they ignored the fleeing party and darted straight for the pursuing enemy nin, tackling and savaging them as though they'd somehow been personally offended. Shinji wasn't sure whether to continue 'retreat' in all of the confusion of wait until he could better figure out the situation.

"Relax," Grunted Pakkun, sounding a touch winded, "They're my pack mates, come to help us out!" Both Leafs relaxed for the moment, taking the opportunity to draw breath for some hours; helping to finished off the first wave of pursuers, the three nin could get a clear look at the dogs, all of whom wore Konoha haitai-ates,

"Thank goodness! Reinforcements!" Shinji exclaimed, he and Kazuko sharing a simultaneous breath of relief, even as they continued to run,

"Did Sakura-Taichou and Ikori make it out?"

"Sakura did, but I found no trace of Ikori's scent anywhere in the base… he definitely wasn't there." The little pug exclaimed, bringing a nasty frown of worry to an exhausted Uruki,

"Shouldn't we be splitting up by now?" Kazuko queried, "Any more pursuers will see our tracks; I'll head this way."

"W-wait…" Shinji called, but she'd already gone, swallowed by the dense foliage, "Kuso…"

"Come on. Uruki-kun you go that way, Shinji, follow me. Two of the dogs will stay with each of you and guide you back. We'll reconvene in Konoha, or unless we run into Kakashi-ue first,"

"Right," With a final nod, the company parted ways, tired and injured, they couldn't help but shake the feeling the whilst the mission might have ended, there was something larger afoot that had been triggered by the recent chain of events.

 

* * *

 

Ultimately, Tsunade's training had been exceptionally valuable to Sakura in a vast number of different ways – most of those ways had remained hidden until she'd encountered a particularly strange situation, and so the kuniochi had come to realise the skills she'd picked up on the fly. Whilst it was true her current predicament that her medical skills were those she was primarily relying on: her ability to bullshit was an exceptional boon here.

The kuniochi knew that at this very moment, she was powerless to strike outright at her captors, with no chakra, no knowledge of where she was and in potentially hostile territory, making a seemingly-noble last stand would accomplish nothing. Instead, it seemed smarter to play along and make it seem as though she was grudgingly playing their game, though she was merely stalling for time; it was risky, to be sure, but a little patience in the short term could often reward with greater returns.

It was after she'd been working for about a day that she got her first surprise, it was probably supposed to be a pleasant one, but it struck the kuniochi more as punishment.

"So, they've put you to work already?" Sakura looked only over her shoulder to scan over his form as he entered the room, but didn't distract herself from her pipetting; she could practically  _hear_  his smug grin.

"Senri-kun, what a surprise." Apparently, he missed her excessively bored tone as he stepped up close to her,

"You were so trusting,  _Sakura-chan_ , you fell for all my lies, didn't you? I knew you didn't suspect me in the slightest! You just thought I was some cute little boy, who didn't even know how to lie! You just thought- _hey!"_  Sakura had merely walked away from him when he started talking, and by the time he'd noticed, she was on the opposite side of the room, still pretending that he wasn't even present. "I was talking to you!"

"Hmm," She moved on again, away from him, careful to ensure that she drew no attention to exactly what she was up to – Senri's ego would do the rest; he continued to witter away, mostly to himself, whilst Sakura took a more careful look at him – his skin over his face was an odd colour, as though they were partially healed bruises. It was a similar case on his arms, his previously pale skin was now slightly sallow, had Senri been treated as though he were a prisoner? But why else would he be here? If he wasn't skilled enough to conduct the research they'd drafted Sakura in for and he'd been beaten, why was he allowed to come and interrupt her now? Maybe it was time for some conversation – getting talked at was rather boring after all,

"-after all that, you still fell for what I was telling you. Of course, I…"

"Senri, how long have you been working for these men?" She turned around to lean on the counter behind her, folding her arms across her chest, giving the appearance of contemplation. He seemed caught off guard by her question,

"A-what's it to you?" She shrugged, calling into play her generally meagre acting skills,

"Well, it's just, you must obviously been well into their circle if they've let you into their base and allowed you to see me."

He couldn't hide the proud glint in his eyes and it told Sakura a lot, "Long enough, but then I have done a remarkably good job for them."

"What was it? Turning me in?"

"Something like that,"

"Hmm, so why are you still here?" A sudden, loud crash and a great explosion rocked the building as both nin stumbled to catch their footing and take in the situation; their attention was further caught by sharp curses and the slapping of sandals on stone outside the door at the end of the corridor, she darted over to the door, closely followed by Senri – who looked as baffled as she. The continual sounds of gnashing blades, thumps of kicks and punches as well as the roar and shriek of jutsus; whilst the kuniochi wasn't sure what it meant, but she did see the opportunity it presented.

Flicking her eyes to Senri, she saw his attention was firmly on the sounds the other side of the door – so much for a loyal servant, any risk to himself and he was a louse in a burning wig. She raised her first and in a single, fluid though sharp motion, her knuckles met his temple and he slammed into the door, his consciousness quickly draining.

Wasting no time, she dashed off in the opposite direction, to the other set of doors at the opposite end of the hall. As anticipated, she found an empty corridor, though the carrying of shouts and yells had Sakura still remain cautious; if she played her cards right, she could slip out of the compound and make her escape whilst whoever it was attacking kept the others distracted.

The thought occurred to her that it could be Uruki and Neru come to save her, but even those two wouldn't be so stupid to tackle an entire compound alone; besides, after they'd attacked and found her absent, they'd know to start tracking her. The kuniochi clung close to the inside walls, her feet making no noise whatsoever as she slipped through the gloom; as an adult, she knew better than to lament what she didn't have or couldn't change, but even so, it didn't stop the whispers of disappointment and frustration in her own ears at her lack of chakra. Her taijutsu was good, excellent even, for being a medic, yet it was never something she naturally favoured – chakra had always taken up that mantle, even when it was combined with some nifty taijutsu.

A sudden, quiet curse sparked her attention and she hung back for a moment – he mustn't have been more than a meter or two around the corner and he sounded irritated; a second and far more colourful curse escaped him as Sakura acted. She darted from around the corner and caught the man by surprise with a sharp jab to his ribs and a kick the knee, he stumbled backwards. He was by no means diminutive, however and so he quickly recovered and pulled a kunai from nowhere,

"You're that bird Takarai nabbed."

"Not fond of your master?" She rebutted, apparently angering the man – it would seem 'Takarai''s confidence wasn't well justified; the man darted forward, though his clumsy movements were no match for her agility. Though his sheer size and power levelled the playing field, her punches and kicks weren't doing nearly enough and she was wasting time with one opponent when she had who-knows-how-many more ahead of her. The momentary distraction had the man gain the upper hand with a nasty strike to her leg, leaving a wide and bloody gash in its wake, she stumbled and waiting for the second blow. He moved as predicted, but she didn't: grabbing his wrist, she twisted snapping the bone and causing the blade to fall to her free hand as it shifted, so was driven into his heart, ending their feud.

Apparently, not all of Takarai's lackeys were shinobi, or maybe he kept them all weak to keep his power? Sakura did not want to stick around to find out; she bend and sliced off the cleanest section of the man's shirt she could find before wrapping it tightly around her wound;  _kuso_. That was all she needed; still she moved on as quickly as possible, pleased at least, to now have a weapon.

The shouts and roars of jutsu and men fighting was steadily getting louder and louder and worried a little at guessing there would be only a single exit to such a base, so the fighting would be crowded around it; she paused, peeking out from around her corner. She still couldn't  _see_  anything, except a few strands of shadows, proving she was indeed near some sort of exit, but she could very vividly hear it which put her on edge; just as the kuniochi was a sudden noise behind her and she span, raising her kunai just in time to deflect Senri's.

He looked quite wild with hair sticking up and a bloody patch on the side of his head – along with a crazed look in his eye, he wasn't fast enough to dodge Sakura's foot, but then again he  _did_  have the use of chakra, albeit meagre, and he wasted no time in returning a nasty, handful of fire at her. She twisted aside, but he didn't pull back as she anticipated, so his fingers sank into the flesh of her already injured thigh, burning the tissue and nearly causing her leg to collapse out from under her,

"Shit…what's your deal, Senri? You'll gain nothing by keeping me here,"

"I will, I'll gain more than you can imagine, stupid-" She cut him off from his insult, his rambling was more than she could be bothered with, their blades gnashed fiercely around punches, curses and two solid wills; both had a lot to lose and neither was at peak performance. Sakura wasn't sure what to do, her leg was, in a literal sense, on its last legs and she wouldn't be able to remain standing for long, not to mention continue a fight. With a sudden burst of strength, she managed to jerk against Senri, knocking aside one of his arms and slashing at his neck, she only grazed the surface, drawing a thin line of blood, but he cringed nonetheless,

"I don't know what motivates you, Senri, but you could have been a good doctor."

He growled in irritation, "They treated me like trash, and it never would have changed!" He swiped again and this time caught Sakura's side, it was a shallow cut, but still something else to mind. As she twisted away, she only caught a glimpse of a brown blur before Senri screamed and fell to the floor, the kuniochi span around in time to see a bloody muzzled Pakkun clambering off the corpse of Senri,

"Sakura-chan! Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah, Pakkun how did you find me?"

"Kakashi told me to keep an eye on you. I found the two Chuunin and they're taking care of the others, but you've got to get out of here! I'll stay with them and can track you later, but you've gotta leave in the disturbance – quickly!" He could smell the blood on her and it didn't bode well, she looked stressed, Pakkun wasn't happy – though he certainly was happier than finding her in captivity and having to leave her there and he was glad to find her most definitely alive.

"Thanks, Pakkun. Which way?" The child in her told her to stay and help her teammates, but a stronger part knew she was in no shape to fight against anyone – she had no chakra and a serious injury, the best teamwork she could do would be to get the hell out of the way.

"Follow me." The little pug trotted off, though mindful of the speed the kuniochi was capable of, he lead her cautiously closer towards the sounds of the fighting, though they were fainter than before,

"What's happening? Wasn't the fighting closer than before?"

"It was, the Chuunin are leading the others away from the front, to allow you time to escape," Sakura breathed a sigh of relief at hearing those words; they were quickly at the entrance, and Sakura could still even see the trailing feet and backs of the engrossed fighters, she lingered barely a moment before she made a break for it, quelling her inner-medic at seeing the wounded, she focussed more on the lingering man, who had his back turned, apparently tending to an injured comrade.

His hair was a strange greenish and he was definitely wider than either of the two Chuunin... that were still alive. Sakura didn't hesitate, it was him and her; the kuniochi darted forward, delving her blade deeply into his back, right about where his heart would be. He collapsed instantaneously and Sakura didn't stop to check the corpse, she followed Pakkun until they were well within the tree line. Neither did she stop to fully take in all of the destruction and spilt blood around her and forced herself to run on and on, after a brief, though heartfelt, thanks to Pakkun, away from the base and her capture.

They had kidnapped her.

They had created and set loose a malevolent virus among the people of Kumo.

They'd used her and countless others to see their own twisted ends.

They could suffer.

 

* * *

 

_Shit!_ Sakura's instincts kicked in and she span around to face the incoming threat that had just sparked her senses, keeping her back towards the nearest tree, even though she knew she was in no shape to fight – her body tense and muscles tight, she waited to tackle the threat head on like the shinobi she was. After a few painful seconds a final rustle was heard and a great black blob appeared in front of her and it took Sakura a moment to realise that she  _recognised_  this blob – huge jaws, spiky collar and all-

"Buru!" She exclaimed as another two blobs darted from the bushes – one grey and the other tan, both wearing Konoha haitai-ates and waist-coats bearing henohenomoheji*, "Shiba, Ūhei!" The latter, tanned greyhound yipped at her as he stepped closer,

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, Kakashi-ue** told us to find you and stay with you. Kakashi-ue is on his way. The others are fighting with the men chasing you. We protect you, Sakura-chan! You have not need to worry!" The ninken's tail flicked around happily as he spoke – apparently he hadn't has as much training in his use of human language as Pakkun. The kuniochi sighed heavily in relief, almost crumpling to the floor as she did so: when they got back to Konoha, she owed Kakashi a very,  _very_  large bottle of the Shushuya's finest saké.

"Well, I'm glad you're here; we'd better get a move on." She turned slightly as the ninken happily complied, Bull moving right up to her side, Shiba remained back allowing Ūhei to take the lead. After barely a few steps, Shiba piped up,

"Sakura-chan, you're injured, you need rest."

"Not yet, we need to get further away – preferably into Yu no kuni territory, there we can more safely rest." She panted slightly as she tried to focus her fatigued mind on both careful steps and the conversation,

"But–"

"Silence yourself!" Ūhei replied, "We follow Sakura-chan's orders 'til Kakashi-ue tells us otherwise, got it?"

"Yea, yea," They fell quiet and continued to run at Sakura's fastest pace, which was disappointingly slow for a shinobi and already she was flagging, her weeks of burning her chakra at both ends, then a very chakra exhaustive fight followed by a chase was taking its toll; she wasn't sure how much longer she could go on for. She'd already put off resting because she knew that if she stopped, then she'd fall asleep and that was equal to death on her own; but perhaps, with the aid of the ninken, she might be able to catch a power nap. But first, she decided, they had to get further away – they were still deep in Kaminari territory and she was still too far from friendly countries to afford to leave herself completely unaware.

They ran for several more hours, though all of the ninken could tell she was on her last legs, so to speak, but neither could they smell any enemies close by – though that didn't mean they wouldn't run into some in the near future. Bull had remained the closest by the kuniochi and more than once she'd used him to steady herself, which was happening more and more often; he gave a short bark to Ūhei.

"Sakura-chan, we think it's time you stopped for a while. We don't smell enemies nearby. You're at your limit, Sakura-chan."

She slowed down and landed on the dusty ground with a resigned sigh, "You're right…Have you–"  _No, of course not_ , she correct to herself, they hadn't met or caught the scent of her teammates, so they would have no idea about them,

"What? What?"

"Is there anybody nearby?" All three dogs lifted their noses to the air,

"No, nobody."

She dipped her head in understanding and dropped herself at the base of a tree; Bull slumped to a seat close beside her, "Wake me if you catch the scents of anybody, understood?"

"Hai, Sakura-chan…please rest. Kakashi-ue told us to keep you safe. We never disobey Kakashi-ue." Ūhei fussed slightly again as he seemed unable to decide which front paw he favoured, his weight constantly shifting between them. The kuniochi finally gave in and agreed as her head dropped back against the tree and she was just as soon asleep; Bull remained close beside her, within arm's reach whilst both Shiba and Ūhei wandered away and began to patrol a perimeter around their sleeping charge.

Ūhei – the somewhat self-appointed leader of the three ninken – counted it to be about four hours since the kuniochi had stopped to rest and he was preparing to return and wake her, knowing well how Kakashi-ue didn't like to be left for as long as he truly needed to when on missions – and he guessed the same of the female. But before he could take too many steps, he raised his nose to the wind and almost yipped in joy at the scent.

Kakashi darted forward keeping up with his own sense of smell and his instincts over where his ninken were and before he knew it, he was crouched on branch looking down at the apparently asleep kuniochi. The silver-haired Jounin frowned slightly – he needed to remember to scold Sakura later for acting so carelessly. As he landed with a soft  _pat_  on the ground, Bull whined slightly and Shiba appeared from nowhere, both equally pleased to see their master; Kakashi ignored them for the moment and crept up to the kuniochi, but just as he crouched again in front of her, leaning in, her blade was suddenly at his throat and he barely managed to catch the punch aimed for his chest.

"Whoa, Sakura, it's me." It took a moment before she blinked and relaxed, pulling both would-be attacks from him,

"Kakashi!" As much relief as Sakura had transmitted in that single word, he himself could match – though he resisted the urge to pull her into a hug, he rose instead, up to his feet and helped her find her own,

"You're injured…I guess you're out of chakra?"

"A suppressant, not sure what or how, I'll need Tsunade to take a look at me. Damn," She swore softly, her leg was feeling far worse than earlier – though a quick look told her the bleeding had stopped; she grimaced at the thought of an infection.

"Can you run?"

"I think so, did you come here alone?" Kakashi shook his head,

"Genma went off to find the Chuunin and assess the situation, Raidou's back in Konoha, my mission to Iwa was a rouse and they're in alliance with Kumo."

"What? Iwa and Kumo? That's ridiculous!" Sakura whispered incredulously, Kakashi nodded slightly, yet to take his eye off the kuniochi – noting how tired and grubby she looked,

"I know, but the aide in Iwa I was dealing with knew about your mission and made a threat against you,"

Sakura's eyebrows pinched in curiously as she took on board the information, "Does Tsunade know?"

"Raidou must have told her by now," Kakashi flicked his eye over the surrounding trees, cautious of staying still too long, at least while still in Kumo territory, "We need to get moving."

"What about Genma and the Chuunin?"

"Pakkun and the others will stay with them and lead them to us but we can't stay still here for much longer. We're not far from the Kaminari/Shimo border, Shimo in by far more neutral territory. C'mon Sakura-chan, we'll be back before you know it." Sakura rolled her eyes, now feeling a little more playful that she was out of immediate danger,

"Thank you, my saviour!" She replied dramatically, making no effort to hide the heavy sarcasm earning a grin from Kakashi, who still hadn't dared to acknowledge just how relieved he felt at finding Sakura free from captivity and not too badly injured.

"Anything for my favourite kuniochi."

..

.

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *In case you don't know what these are, they're little faces drawn (usually by school children in language lessons) by assembling the seven Japanese hiragana characters (he, no, mo and ji) that make up the word, appropriately – this face is regularly used in Japanese culture and, amusingly, can also be referred to as 'kakashi' lol – they're on the back of Pakkun's waistcoat, too!
> 
> **This suffix of '-ue' is a fairly old-fashioned way of speaking and literally means 'above' – used as a sign of great respect, and I don't think it would be too far-fetched for his dogs to refer to Kakashi in this manner as it seems as close as I can get to a relevant means of saying 'master'.
> 
> I've gotta say, too, that I was really tempted to have Sakura kill Kazuko on her way out, thinking she an enemy, but…well, I think I'll keep my ultimate reasons to myself for now, since they haven't yet been covered by the next couple of chapters – but I assure you, there is a reason!


	24. Time Is A Thief When You're Undecided

 

"So? So? Will she be okay?"

"Of course, baka," Tsunade faux-irritatedly snapped at Naruto's fussing as they sat in Sakura's lounge, said kuniochi's heel resting on the edge of the kotatsu as Tsunade gave her leg another dose of healing; the infection had been severe, and Sakura still couldn't walk fully unaided, along with her chakra being slow to return. The suppressant had been very high quality and the kuniochi, unfortunately, just had to wait for it to be flushed from her system; there was an antedote of sorts, but it wasn't very effective, at best it merely sped up the process. They'd been back for a week, and she could feel her chakra, but she still had trouble accessing it – she'd barely regained enough to perform a henge; must to her irritation.

Still regular appearances of Naruto, Kakashi, Sai, Yamato and even Sasuke had kept her spirits high.

Kakashi particularly seemed to appear more often than was normal, she didn't think too much about it at first, until she'd come back from a check-up (and catch-up) with Shizune the day before, to find the smell of something delicious cooking in the oven, she'd fetched a drink from her fridge before she'd noticed the oven on – Kakashi had appeared around a corner at the same moment and nearly made her jump out of her skin in surprise, especially with his choice of words being, 'You're back at last.'

It had taken a full five minutes of her asking him trick questions until she was satisfied that it was actually Kakashi and not some creepy imposter; he'd laughed at her, then and had said: 'really, Sakura-chan, do you think anyone would be idiotic enough to break into your apartment?' She'd raised an eyebrow at him for that one, but she'd been forced to admit, the man could cook…  _well._  It was such a bizarre experience that Sakura hadn't noticed the similarities between it and her dream – until the next day, when he'd turned up a little after Naruto had.

Despite the things Tsunade had been saying to her, about her leg and chakra (as well as her capture and the illness), Sakura just couldn't seem to get her mind to focus on anything other than Kakashi, and, now, the fact they were back in Konoha and the stress of the mission was no longer top of their list of concerns there was one other matter left to confront.

She and Kakashi had shared a kiss. Then they'd gone on separate missions and not really discussed said kiss or what it meant. And Sakura wasn't sure she had the courage to challenge him about it. Did Kakashi feel the same way? Was he, too, a little anxious about it and his constant presence was his, rather obscure, way of dealing with it?

Kakashi had acted utterly normally, though… apart from his recent bout of gate-crashing, but she hadn't seen anything to yet suggest that he was in any way uneasy – but this  _was_  Kakashi, the master of the poker face. Still, she found her eyes lingering on him more than normal as Naruto wittered away to the three of them, particularly happily about his lunch-date with Hinata, Sakura couldn't help but feel so conscious of Kakashi's presence as he sat adjacent to her around the kotatsu, apparently buried in his copy of  _Taktikusu._

She did her best to focus on the other people in the room, especially since Tsunade had gone out of her way to pay her a visit (though it was also possible she was simply shirking a few duties and couldn't be bothered to hear Shizune's nagging), so it was pleasant to sit in her own home, with company and a hot cup of tea at her elbow. The days were getting ever longer and warmer, it now being early April, and Sakura couldn't help but look forward to the approaching summer – she'd missed the sun, particularly over the taxing past few weeks.

 

A sudden knock at the door had Naruto leaping to his feet and opening it before Sakura could open her mouth,

"Hmm? Hinata-chan! Ino-chan!"

"Naruto? What are you doing here?"

"We all came for tea!" He laughed, stepping back to allow the two kuniochi in,

"Oh! Well, then I guess it was a good thing that we brought extra  _anko_  [sweet dumplings]!" Laughed Ino, who slipped off her sandals, along with Hinata and they both quickly joined the group; though this in turn forced everyone to squash in a little closer, so Sakura's arm was almost butted up against his own, brushing every time either of them made a movement. Why was she suddenly so conscious of him?

She never had been before, not even during the mission to his house and they'd been sat a lot closer than before… she hadn't given any thought to the fact they'd slept only a few feet from each other, just as they did on missions, even though they could have slept in separate rooms. Their proximity had been so much greater then and she'd given no thought to it, but now, even being in the same room as the man had her distracted, unsure what to make of their precarious relationship – were they supposed to forget what had happened? Did she want to? Ino's funny looks weren't helped her, either…  _damn this situation!_

Issuing a short breath out, she rose to her feet and excused herself to go to the bathroom. She was being an idiot, that was all; she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm her nerves. It was Kakashi. Her former sensei, friend, colleague and superior. Kami, they'd even weathered a mistaken belief that they were married with much less awkwardness! Mentally slapping herself, she returned from the bathroom to find everyone clearing up,

"Uh… what are you guys doing?"

"You must be tired, Sakura, and we have been here a while," Tsunade offered lightly, "And I really should get back to the office before Shizune's had time to find all of my stashes,"

"Oh, you don't have to," She tried to sound genuine, though secretly, she was glad of the opportunity for some time alone;

"It's okay, Sakura-chan, we'll meet soon for ramen, right?" Naruto and Hinata too said their goodbyes and disappeared – Kakashi caught her eye with his own as he was half out of the door, there was something else in the look from that dark eye, but Sakura couldn't decipher it - paralysed as she was by both her own insecurities and that fact that it was probably the first time, throughout the entire morning, that she'd actually looked the man in the eye. But, as soon as the tension and silent conversation had flared, it dissipated and Kakashi was gone, leaving only an empty doorway and a self-conscious kuniochi. She turned around, swiftly, hoping to escape the slight embarrassment, but found only Ino stood with a curiously knowing expression on her face – complete with matching smirk,  _shit._

Avoiding Ino's questions was never an easy feat, especially when she thought she was onto something really juicy, but after almost ten minutes of head-butting, Ino relented and lightly hugged her friend,

"It's good to have you back, Bilboard Brow, I was beginning to miss having someone to argue with." Sakura wasn't particularly pleased by Pig's choice of words, but she was nonetheless touched by the sentiment,

"Thanks Ino-pig," The blonde was just as soon out of the door and the pink-haired kuniochi breathed a sigh of relief to have her own space again – away from prying eyes, boisterous voices and certain silver-haired nin who'd begun to make her feel on edge.

 

Being on leave certainly had its benefits on some days, it was rare that Sakura had enough time to take a leisurely stroll through Konoha on her way to a quiet corner for lunch; her leg was still a little painful, but it no longer kept her off her feet, so didn't hesitate to escape her suddenly-too-small feeling apartment. The kuniochi had sorely missed her home village and to her, there was nothing better for curing the spirit than a walk through its streets. She'd felt as if the worst of her week was over with and that, whilst it still preyed on her mind somewhat, it was because of the return slope - rather than being the dip down.

Ikori's funeral had been held the day before and Sakura had found the attendance more difficult than she'd anticipated – she hadn't known Ikori very well, but she'd come to respect his medical prowess and growing ability to think logically about a problem, but he'd had his life ripped from him because of a madman who wanted only to manipulate those around him and stroke his own ego. She found herself mouring the fact she hadn't gotten to know him any better and that Konoha had lost a budding medic.

She'd said her goodbyes to the young Chuunin – and felt deep regret that he'd lost his life over what should have been a simple mission that would have boosted his experience. Still, as a shinobi, Sakura knew that loss was as inevitable as danger on missions, but it never made the fact of the matter any easier. He wasn't the first Sakura had lost under her command, but the kuniochi felt just as she had done when she'd lost Kuji Mei, a Genin who'd been on her last mission before her Chuunin exams and they'd been overwhelmed by enemy shinobi. That had been a time when Sakura had thought she was already accomplished as a Jounin leader. How wrong she'd been – and it had taken Naruto more than a few days of careful fussing to bring the kuniochi out of the worst of her shell, though the ultimate price hadn't been forgotten.

"You must be feeling better to take such a walk," A familiar voice drew Sakura sharply out of her daydreaming, and up into the charcoal eyes of Sasuke; she eyed him warily, now conscious of the fact that she'd walked out to the training grounds,

"I suppose so."

"Are you here for lunch?" The Uchiha asked in his typically passive voice,

"I guess so," She responded, unsure of how really to deal with the nin in front of her, "What about you? Aren't you supposed to be at work?" A brief flicker of irritation passed over his face before he replied with a stiff,

"I'm on lunch." The kuniochi walked away a little, over to the nearest tree, and took a seat, unsure of what to say to a lingering Sasuke but apparently, he was the one full of conversation, "Things have really changed in Konoha whilst I've been away," Her once-teammate took a somewhat reticent seat beside her, resting his elbows on his raised knees;

"Why would you think it wouldn't have changed? You've been gone for more than a decade. That's a long time, Sasuke, especially for shinobi." Sakura replied cooly,

"I know…but there were some things I guess, that I never expected to happen no matter how much time passed."

"Oh?" Sakura busied herself with opening her bento, snapping apart her chopsticks and taking a large bite of rice – food of her own choosing and quantity still seemed like such a novelty.

"Like Naruto getting a girlfriend for one."

"Naruto? A girlfriend? Nah! He likes Hinata, sure, but he hasn't got to the asking stage yet." Sakura grinned, remembering Naruto's chattering about the subject in an effort to cheer her up the day after she'd returned,

"Hmm…it still seems odd to hear him though, prefer to hang out with a girl rather than spar,"

Sakura snorted at this, "You are aware that you're 'hanging out with a girl' right now, aren't you?"

"Baka,"

"Haha! C'mon Sasuke, you've said it many times before yourself, you wanted to revive your clan – that has to begin with a girlfriend, right?"

"I noticed that you and Kakashi seem quite close." Apparently Sasuke was going for a bait other than the one she'd chosen for him,

"…Oh?" Did her voice sound as high pitched as she thought it did?

"Yea, at first I thought that the claim of that Uzushio nin's was a lie – that you two were married, but…"

Sakura didn't like where this was going at all; "…But?"

Sasuke turned to her then, with a somewhat sly grin on his face, "How much truth was there to those rumours, if you're on a kissing basis?"

Sakura nearly choked on the mushroom she was chewing on at Sasuke's words, "Wh-what the hell? Why were you spying on us?-!"

"I wasn't spying! I just happened to come across you at a particularly…  _intimate_ moment," Sakura gaped for a moment or two, unable to find her voice, "Kakashi's a… good man. I think you could do worse." Sakura – in a moment of warp speed thinking, diverted herself from the issue at hand and jabbed an accusing finger at the boy next to her;

"…Who are you and what have you done to Uchiha Sasuke?"

"What?" His signature frown was back,

"You… you…  _complimented_ Kakashi! Sasuke never does that!"

"As you said, Sakura, ten years is a long time."

"Apparently it is,"  _Please Kami, let's not go back to the prior conversation!_

"Are you seeing Kakakshi?"

"Do you have any idea how awkward this conversation is?"

Sasuke let out a breath of laughter, "Yeah."

 

* * *

 

Tsunade could barely contain herself as she sat listening to the man speak in front of her; she wanted nothing more than the hurl the large porcelain saké bottle at him and ask if he forgot to put his brain in this morning. Those beady eyes were creepy too – they gave too little away. No wonder Kakashi struggled to reign in his irritation-reflex – Ashikino Peikou really did look like a man ready to snap.

"Did you understand me, Mistress Tsunade?"  _Was this man capable of talking in anything less than a sneer?_

"Of course I did, Ashikino-san," The Hokage rose to her feet, leaning over the edge of the desk, "And I ask you, why exactly are you declaring war on Konoha?"

"We're declaring War on Uzushiogakure; Konoha, by its terms of association, might also come under threat."

"This is madness. Iwa is in ruins and it had delusions of grandeur about attacking one of the most powerful nations in the world?"

"Iwa has more allies that you'll care to admit. Konoha has, once again, overestimated itself – you won't be able to see over your own bloated belly, Tsunade-hime, Konoha will not withstand Iwa,  _this time_." Tsunade narrowed her eyes; the bright spring sunlight cast the entire room in harsh light – and it seemed that Peikou had absolute confidence in himself and conviction in his words. Tsunade let out a slow, silent breath before flicking her eyes to the Kumo representative, who'd made an appearance at about the same time Ashikino had;

"What are your thoughts on this, shinobi from Kumo?"

The kuniochi stepped forward, "Iwa approached us some months ago about the issue with Uzushio. It broke the nations' agreements by operating a ninja village outside of the regulations laid down by the Five Great Nations – what benefit is Konoha getting that means its willing to turn a blind eye to this?" Tsunade didn't like the smugness in the nin's tone,

"If I am not mistaken, in order for one to count as a hidden village, it must have an active shinobi population of above twenty-five and undertake at least fifty missions per year; Uzushio falls well below that threshold,"

"I suppose only you know that? Uzu was believe to be an empty island right up until six months ago; but even so, Uzushio apparently still holds considerable sealing power – they pose a significantly higher threat than the average small village."

"Funny how you like to change the rules when it suits you," The Kumo nin's eyes narrowed sharply and the sudden crackle of tension in the room had the two ANBU present tensing like an academy teacher dealing with Naruto; Tsunade sighed and raised a hand to the two ANBU, holding them off attacking, "All right, so both Iwa and Kumo are declaring war on Uzushio for… scaring you a bit?" Ashikino sighed and plastered a condescending smile on his face, as though he were dealing with an unruly child,

"We will invade Uzushiogakure to determine what military strength it holds and what its plans were for remaining so secretive. If Konoha stands in our way, it will be subject to our attacks as well."

"You're insane to do this! Utterly insane! Have you communicated at all with Uzushio?"

"You think we'd give them time to prepare a counterstrike?"  _Calm, Tsunade! Deep breaths!_

"You absolutely won't back down?"

"No." Both nin looked as stern as each other,

"And Konoha will not allow you to illegally attack Uzushiogakure, so the first act of this conflict will be to imprison the both you – Yaku! Sen!" Tsunade abruptly ordered and the two foreign nin suddenly found themselves overwhelmed by the ANBU and pinned to the floor before they had time to take their next breaths,

"Y-you can't do this!" The Kumo nin wheezed and Yaku's katana dug into her side whilst her hands were being bound,

"Then you should have thought of that before you declared war. Get them the hell out of here and get me a video link to the Daimyo, and bring me Mine from the aviary."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." One of the ANBU answered before diappearing in a puff of smoke. The Hokage let out a despairing sigh and rubbed her forehead with her index and thumb,

"Tsunade-sama, don't you think that we should call a meeting to inform the Jounins?" The Senin hesitated, it needed doing, of course, but tonight wasn't anything ordinary – many of the shinobi had been looking forward to it and she didn't want to ruin the party… besides, she needed to talk with the Daimyo first, anyway. It could wait until tomorrow morning.

 

* * *

 

Kakashi ambled his way down the street, his hands were stuffed in his pockets and his typically bored expression was very carefully plastered to his face, but he had to admit, that his insides were in knots. He wasn't entirely sure what had gotten into him over the past few days, somehow he'd just found himself drawn to Sakura's side, as though he'd had some insatiable need to check up on her, to make sure she was still doing all right.

He didn't really understand it himself and he had conveniently blanked out the majority of his actions until a few days ago, when he'd been leaving the impromptu party and he'd caught her eye as he was leaving… was it right for little more than a  _look_  from her could have his stomach lurching so? It had occurred to him, momentarily after, that the fact they'd shared a kiss was still something they'd yet to discuss and it felt like a gigantic storm cloud looming over his head, waiting to burst.

_How had he gotten talked into this?_  He wondered, plaintively, as he forced himself to rap on Sakura's front door – torn between hoping she was both there and not,

"Yes? Oh, Kakashi…" She looked as surprised as she did uncertain – at least he wasn't alone in his discomfort;

"Ah, Sakura, I was hoping you'd take a walk with me." He hated how it sounded for both the truth and the lie in plain sight, his hand reached up to scratch at the back of his head,

"Uh…why?"

"I just wanted to talk."  _Why did this have to happened now of all times?_

"Talk? About what?"

"Please, Sakura?" She looked hesitant, but relented,

"…All right, give me a minute," Before either of them knew it, they were out ambling down the street-lamp lit pathways, occupied by various milling civilians; the atmosphere was very pleasant and there was a comfortable lull in conversation. Kakashi found himself put strangely at ease by the amiable silence. They continued on their wanderings for a few minutes more – the kuniochi was the first to find her voice – once they'd left the main streets behind and were following the more secluded, outer streets.

"Kakashi… have you been feeling all right, recently?" He found himself surprised by the question,

"Feeling all right? Why would you ask?"

The kuniochi let a slow breath out, apparently nervous, he braved a glance at her turned head, "You've been acting… very strangely recently. You've made more appearances than I've ever known you to – showing up at my place,  _cooking_? No offence, but what the hell?" She suddenly sounded so much more like  _Sakura-chan_  – it eased him more than he would have imagined;

"Ah, I apologise if I made you… uncomfortable. I guess I was worried about you." He answered and she turned to him them, as though there was no strange tension between them, and shot him the most incredulous look Kakashi had ever had. And a short chuckle escaped him before he could help it; they seemed to understand each other and came to a stop on the red bridge – the one they often met on for missions during their Genin days; Kakashi leaned his back to the railing as Sakura face the other way, resting her elbows on the crimson painted wood. The darkness of the evening and the lack of people was both reassuring and dangerous.

"We never… talked about what happened before the mission, did we?" She was never really one to beat around the bush,

"…Was there time?"

"For something like that?" She rebutted,

He was avoiding and they both knew it, but he couldn't seem to stop it, either; her point was valid, though. "Point taken; to be honest, I don't know what to say."

"Neither do I, Kakashi; but either way it's in the past, its more about what's going on… now?" This conversation was taking a turn he both anticipated and was completely unprepared for – what was he supposed to say? How did he even feel? He hadn't an answer to either.

"You're right. And to be honest, this situation is… is…" They shared a brief meeting of the eyes, a shy glance at best, but it told a lot; the distance between them was both massive and far too small,

"Do you, uh, regret it? Do you want to forget it ever happened? Do you even… want to take things further?" He couldn't read her voice, despite its boldness, but there was definitely a layered uncertainty, though even for one gifted with an eye of insight, he could read no further. But apparently, his tongue was feeling especially honest, regardless of consequences,

"I'm… not sure, but I don't want to pretend nothing happened, I think I–"

"There you are! For goodness sake, Kakashi! Your lateness is starting to really rub off! You guys were supposed to be at the pub almost an hour ago!" The chipper and oh-so-familiar voice of Naruto cut through the tension as though it wasn't even there, both shinobi tensed as though they'd been caught. And in a sense they had. "C'mon! I know you hate parties, Kakashi, but you promised about this one!" Kakashi's eye again found Sakura's - momentarily ignoring Naruto, and the real reason he'd knocked on the kuniochi's door - and he couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with him… since when did Sakura, and the thought of being found with her, make him so nervous?

..

.

I know, I know…:3 Good things, right? Or maybe bad? *evil grin* Not the best chapter, but important in many ways! ^.~


	25. Halloween Special: Tricks And Treats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really annoyed that I couldn't post this on Halloween but this has been one long week (both Thurs and Wed were late working) ontop of injuring my back which has made sitting difficult, so this chapter was a little delayed, but I hope you all will enjoy a little Halloween fun! ^_ ^ 
> 
> This chapter is outside the current time-line for the chapters tho, the events will be sort-of referenced later on.

 

Kakashi's bad day was getting worse and worse. He was on his way back from a single-day solo – a rarity, to be sure, but it was an utter  _hell_  of a mission; it had been to escort an older, rich father and his three children to Tanzaku Gai so that the 'business man' could make a transaction without fear that his competitors would use the opportunity of his bodyguards being away to try and attack him or his children. So, over the course of eighteen and a half hours, Kakashi had been the subject of both intense argument among the three children, and later, the object of their immature mischievousness. And of course, with the next day being Halloween (a Western holiday that had very strongly caught on in Fire in the past few years) the children were convinced Kakashi had a number of jutsus devoted to scaring them.

Well, he  _did_ , but he doubted he'd be able to get away with terrifying the children of an important figure in Fire so badly, they'd never want to so much as  _hear_  about another ninja again. Shame, they were really asking for it, though.

Still, the Copy Nin breathed a near audible sigh of relief as he dropped down, out of the tree line and onto the pathway which lead him in through Konoha's main gate; the air had been unusually warm over the past day or so, and that had meant that a thick layer of fog had settled itself into the fairly low lying area of Konoha. Kakashi wasn't much romanced by the idea of Halloween, but even he had to admit that the weather had very nice timing.

Someone had even gone to the trouble (probably the ghoulishly-crazy Nara clan) of placing lanterns up in the eyes of the monuments to make they seem more like conscious spectors than inert testaments. So too had there been placed around the trees throughout the hidden village small, though exquisitely crafted paper lanterns in the shapes of cutsey-miniature  _Kodama –_ they perfectly depicting the little tree-spirits curious to observe the holiday so specially reserved for spirits and ghosts of every sort.

Kakashi ambled through the already-bustling village – despite it being only about half-past seven in the morning, there were still plenty of people organising the daily markets and produce for sale (the Copy Nin even spied a sutra or two, slapped upon a few doors, in anticipation of some less-than-welcome 'visitors'). Just as he rounded the corner, to head onto the next street, a yelp of surprise drew his attention and caused him to face into a nasty gust of cold air; upon seeing only children playing, he subtly tensed his muscles a little in an effort to warm up, he quickened his pace to get to the Hokage office. The quicker he found himself at his house (thankfully  _away_  from the centre of Konoha, and thus any prank-crazy children), with a pot of hot tea and his own peace and quiet, the far, far better.

Just as Kakashi allowed the door of the building's main entrance to swing, gently closed behind him, he came face to face with one of the many 'admin-residents' who were mostly civilian, but permanently employed to help organise all of the paperwork involved in mobilising and recording the movements of a village's shinobi. One of these staffers was Tsubaki – a beautiful woman by any man's standards, but she was also a woman who was very sure of herself and had thoroughly enjoyed flirting with everyone; some people were just like that and saw flirting on a par with general friendliness. She was much like the female version of Genma.

Apparently for the special occasion of the day, she was dressed in a skin-tight, short black dress, decorated little orange silhouette motifs of spiders, pumpkins and cobwebs. The neckline dipped so low, Kakashi guessed that her bellybutton might soon be at risk of peeking out (not daring himself to give too much thought to the gravity defying disks of material holding in her ample chest). Apparently she was one who thoroughly subscribed to the 'holiday'.

"Oh! Kakashi-san! How lovely to see you again," Her voice was sweet, if a little high-pitched and her eyes strangely lingered over his hair. Strange.

"Tsubaki-san," He greeted politely, as she leaned over the edge of the desk slightly, resting her chin on her up-turned palms;

"What are you doing here?"

"Just back from a mission, reporting into Tsunade-sama."

"Ahh, it wasn't too taxing for your mighty skills, I trust?" He merely blinked at the cheap compliment, deciding it was time to move on, he wandered away, with a half-hearted wave out of politeness, ignoring the woman's pout – it might work on others, but not Kakashi. The halls were well decorated in the building, too, many paper ghosts,  _onryuu_ and gremlins were dotted around… remarkable how a few whispers of the supernatural brought out the child in everybody.

"Kakashi-san?" The slightly wary voice of Shizune was the next to draw his consideration, she too gave him a thorough looking over and apparently had to reign in a smile, "I didn't realise you were a fan of this holiday."

"I'm not." He rebutted, almost instinctively, his confusion now drawing into a definitive (and damn-near flashing) question-mark within him,

"…Oh,  _oh,_ " She smirked, "Well, never mind, Tsunade-sama should have just finished a meeting by now, if you hurry, you can catch her with a free moment." Kakashi eyed his old age-mate carefully, but brushed aside her comment, she might have a cheeky streak in her, but Shizune was among the least vindictive women he knew;

"Thanks,."

"Will I see you at the party tonight?"

"Probably not," He saw no reason to embellish his predicable answer… why was she even asking?

"Really? It will be a lot of fun – a masquerade ball, you know – no one will even know it's you," The Copy Nin resisted the urge to roll his eyes,

"Shizune-san…"

"All right, all right, it's only your choice, but it would be nice to have you more included in the village's festivities, especially since you're now living outside the walls." He nodded in understanding, but gave no further answer – it was such an old argument.

 

There were days when Kakashi wondered why he'd moved back into his father's old house, so far outside of Konoha, but it always came rushing back to him as soon as he slid his front door home and took in the feel of his own  _house._ This feeling was amplified whenever he stepped under his (recently suped-up) power shower and allowed the droplets of hot water to beat the fatigue from his muscles.

His clothes had been surprisingly damp when he'd peeled them off, the hours of running through fog must have gotten to them more than he'd realised; though it made him all the more glad to get under the hot water and allow it to chase the chill from his bones. He scrubbed carefully at his body to rid himself of the sweat and fatigue of the mission, though as he washed his hair, he noticed rather a lot of black appearing in the water at his feet – his silver quiff must really have been grubby, he supposed – perhaps that was what was earning him so many funny looks.

Before long the water temperature began to flag, and rather than waste it all, he hopped out and immediately dried the worst of the moisture from himself with a towel, before securing it around his waist and, using the second towel that had dried his hair, to wipe the steam from the mirror. Shock was a rare thing for Kakashi to experience, but whenever it occurred, it was never a pleasant sensation. As he swiped the steam from the mirror, his reflection was revealed to him as well as an…  _addition_.

The tip of Kakashi's hair had been dyed orange and black. As though someone had held him upside down and dunked him, alternately in pots of orange and black paint. After staring for a moment or two in astonishment he turned around and re-flicked on the shower head. Unfortunately, for an increasingly frustrated shinobi, the dye would simply  _not_  wash out. After some seven sessions of lather, rinse, repeat, he could stand no more and was forced to resign himself to his new hair-style. Some of the streaks, though narrow, ran down right down to his roots, so  _cutting_  out of the dyed hair wasn't an option.

Kami help him if he ever found the unfortunate soul that had chosen to do this to him. They would wish they'd never been born!

After another few minutes of grumbling and cursing under his breath whilst scowling at the dye-job, he unfolded his arms from across his bare chest and tried to ignore it, instead busying himself with another job – shaving. He could feel his chinful of silvery stubble catching on the fabric of his mask and it had been driving him crazy all through the mission; he lathered his face and fetched a kunai.

He'd tried to use the new-fangled razors imported into Konoha, but found that he simply couldn't get a shave close enough (it was Gai, in fact who'd tried to convince him of the 'hip new technology' after stumbling across his friend, face covered in foam and a kunai at his cheek. The Green Beast had, of course, laughed himself silly at the image, before asking if Kakashi, too, still considered leeches a viable form of medicine; a then young Copy Nin had been duly unimpressed and promptly banished Gai from ever visiting him at his apartment. The Beast had, of course, ignored this, but even so, Kakashi had not changed his shaving habits.)

 

As Kakashi stood in front of the mirror, he was greeted by the image of his father – a man of remarkable class and composure – and someone only Kakashi had ever really seen at his most  _human._  He struggled to bring the memory into full focus, but the longer he focussed on it, the more he dredged; it had been a few weeks after the fateful mission, and Sakumo had allowed his personal hygiene to waste. A young Kakashi, desperate to fix what he didn't fully understand, tried to convince his father to shave again and he'd dragged the man as far as the bathroom. The eldest Hatake's beard had grown long – into one any sorcerer would be proud of – but the long tasselled strands of wiry hair had aged the man terribly, never before had Sakumo looked so  _tired_.

A five year-old Kakashi hadn't fully acknowledge or understood the feeling then, but as matured, he realised his fear back then had been of the instinctive understanding that he was really going to lose his father. A sudden  _crash_ outside, on his garden  _engawa_  forced Kakashi from his reminiscing and he jerked sharply, the edge of the blade dragged painfully across his jaw and he drew blood. He cursed under his breath – the great Copy Nin – cutting himself shaving! Pathetic. He quickly grabbed a few sheets of toilet paper and pressed it to the stinging wound, stemming the flow of blood as he dropped his kunai, and moved out to discover what had caused the noise – he still had enough shaving foam over the lower half of his face that he wasn't worried about any undue exposure.

Sliding back the  _sh_ _ō_ _ji_ , he looked out his garden, expecting to find some folly intruder of one sort or another – and indeed he found one, many in fact, though there were certainly of the least threatening nature he'd ever encountered. Dotted around his small, ornamental garden in the centre of his house, were tens of  _Kodama_  lanterns.

"What…the…" Kakashi stared near blankly at all of the little lantern-figurines that were peeking out from the vegetation, back at him like a crèche of cheeky children; the still thick fog and cool breeze of air had Kakashi sigh a short breath of irritation before turning back to go and dress himself before investigating more thoroughly. Much to an already disgruntled shinobi, a visitor to his hallway ceiling drew his eye – a large and unmistakable cobweb was strung between the inverse pyramid of the top corner. Kakashi scowled at it and moved on to his bedroom (after speedily finishing his shaving), fetching out a fresh uniform and mask and returned to begin clearing up his garden.

Before he could turn to his task, however, there was a knock at his door and he was compelled to answer it – though not before noticing three,  _three_  further, but separate cobwebs in other corners of his house.  _What cur was playing these games with him?_ He jerked open his door to face a Naruto and Sakura, both of whose expressions morphed very quickly from passive expectancy to incredulous disbelief;

"What?" He demanded, not sure he wanted to hear their…  _remarks_  upon his hair;

"Kakashi," Sakura began, a touch tentatively, "What's with your mask?"

"Eh?" Naruto, apparently unable to resist any longer nearly burst with his laughter,

"Hahah, Kakashi! I didn't realise you like Halloween so much! That mask is so cool!" Kakashi stared blankly at the two for a moment before turning on his heel and marching back towards his bathroom, closely followed by his two former students – and, as though the mirror was a mocking curse, he saw his reflection – and his mask, instead of being a solid issue-black colour, had large patches of while material – in the outline of facial bone structure…making him look like a skeleton from the eyes down – and with an appropriately ghastly blood stain where he'd earlier cut his chin.

"Hahah, Kakashi, you've never taken this interest in Halloween before… what's changed?" Naruto asked in his typically gleeful timbre;

"…I think I have a poltergeist…"

 

* * *

 

His two former students had inflicted themselves upon him – and in true Naruto style – Kakashi had simply been unable to refuse their demands to come in and drink tea with him. Admittedly it had been well over two weeks since he'd set eyes on them (they'd both been away on respective missions). Once they were all-too-comfortably settled in his kitchen and Naruto had happily got the chattering about his latest mission out of his system, the topic of conversation had (inevitably, Kakashi thought contritely) turned to the subject of the Halloween dance that was being hosted that evening for any and all shinobi of Konoha. The silver-haired Jounin thought the entire idea somewhat preposterous – what would be the point of a masquerade ball among ninjas?

"You're missing the point," Sakura explained somewhat exasperatedly, "No one will  _choose_  to employ their skills because that's what makes it fun… I for one am actually looking forward to an evening of not irrefutably knowing who it is right next to me," Her voice and manner was utterly casual, but something about her words struck Kakashi's attention – that was a bonus, wasn't it? He'd have the opportunity to be near her…  _stop! Don't be such an idiot!_  The Copy Nin knew very well that he had no business even supposing that Sakura might want to explore a little further what was happening between them – it had been months since their last 'encounter' and discussions between them had been avoided to say the least.

Was Kakashi alone in his desire to take things further? To possibly push their boundaries a little further? Or had it been a one off that Sakura had tried once and decided she wanted no more of? Kakashi shook his head – he was tying himself into knots when it came to Sakura and their kiss, everything about it just  _threw_  him. She, too, was a master of keeping her thoughts close to her chest and the (formerly) silver-haired Jounin couldn't read between the lines of her passive, but engaged facial expression – Kakashi had to admit, he'd never before realised just how frustrating it was to have an opponent who could duck and weave away from his analysis quicker than he could form it.

"Yea, c'mon Kakashi! It wouldn't be any fun without you and no one even needs to know it's you!"

"Then how will you know that I'm there to have fun?" Kakashi rebutted casually lifting a fresh pot of tea to the small chabudai between them,

"What he means, Kakashi," Sakura interrupted before Naruto could get his own offended rebuttal out, "Is that you never join us for any social gatherings, yea we can drag you out to the bar ever now and then, but we'd actually like to celebrate a proper holiday with you," Finished Sakura, rather eloquently, (and Naruto threw in a marginally less eloquent, "Yea!" by means of support). The two shinobi locked eyes for a few moments and Kakashi's tongue, apparently, had decided to slip,

"Why do you want me there so badly?" It was a perfectly innocent question under the circumstances, but between the two nin the subtext was a great dragon in the room – Kakashi instinctively knew that the question he'd asked was a good deal more  _sensitive_  than, thankfully, Naruto might notice, but it had not passed Sakura by. The kuniochi hesitated in her answer as her mouth gaped slightly, but before she could find the right words, a sharp rap at the door had Kakashi roll his eyes – was he destined to get no peace on this blasted day?

This time it was Gai at the door. And he'd brought his gleaming teeth and raised thumbs with him.

"My rival! How are you on this fine day?" The Green Beast, upon fully taking note of the shinobi in front of him, amended his opening sentence, "Uh… what are you wearing? And why have you died your hair?" Kakashi merely issued a short, but suitably irritated breath before turning his back in a silent allowance for Gai to follow – by now the Copy Nin had stopped even trying to deal with Gai at the door.

"Naruto-kun! Sakura-san! My heart is warmed to see you again!" Gai spoke as he entered the kitchen and took a seat, "What are you both doing here?"

"Just for tea, and to convince Kakashi to come to the party tonight."

"Oh yes! The Halloween party! …Oh! Sakura-san, you must forgive me!" The inherent sense of flamboyancy returned with a vengeance;

"What?"

"I accidentally saw you in the costume shop!" Sakura's previously relaxed eyebrows slowly rose,

"Gai, what are you talking about?"

"When you were trying on your dress, and you stepped out of the changing room, I happened to be walking past…I'm so sorry!"

"Haha, it's okay – it's just a costume, there's no need to worry about it," She shrugged nonchalantly as Gai's 'tears of sorrow' immediately dried up and were replaced by a grin;

"Oh I'm so relieved! And may I say, Sakura-san, that the dress you have chosen is most beautiful! You will surely be the most stunning kuniochi at the party!" Sakura coughed lightly as a slight blush rose to her cheeks,

"There's…there's no need for that, Gai,"

"What's her dress like? What's it like?" Naruto queried greedily, as Kakashi remained silent, doing his very best to make it seem as though his interest hadn't been piqued,

"Oh no! I will not breathe a word of it to anyone! But you will be pleasantly surprised, I think! Oh ho ho!"

"Aww!"

"Oh shut it, Naruto, have you even found a costume yet?" Sakura redirected the conversation and Kakashi took the opportunity to rise to his feet and wander away whilst the two youngest shinobi squabbled, as soon as the haunted nin was out of the door Gai sprang into action, he whipped a weird mass of white thread from his pocket and opened one of Kakashi's cupboards.

"Gai? What are you doing?"

"Shh! I think my rival has too little fun in his life, don't you think?" The Azure Beast's grin was maniacal and really quite infectious,

"…So you're the reason Kakashi looks like he fell into a pot of paint?"

"Hahaha! It suits him, don't you think?" Naruto grinned and nodded with his usual enthusiasm,

"How on earth did you manage it?" Gai, finished stringing more cobwebs around the place and quickly sat back down, whipping his cup into his hand in a seamless transition out of the mischievousness – and just in time, for Kakashi reappeared with a slight frown on his face, as he look up to the ceiling above the frame of the door,

"I don't know where the hell these things keep coming from, but…" He reached up to try and grab the pesky cobweb, but it suddenly twitched as though it could tell it was about to be wrested from its spot and dodged out of the way. Kakashi, aware he was being watched looked back down to find all three of his guests faces looking thoroughly confused. He left the cobweb be for a moment whilst he decided to throw out the far more irritating 'additions' to his house.

"All right, all of you leave me alone…don't you all have a 'party' to prepare for?" Naruto couldn't quite resist a laugh – it was the closest any of them had come to seeing Kakashi pout;

"Haha – you won't even need a costume at this rate Kakashi! You already look like a phantom!" Kakashi's frown – although often a scary prospect – fitted right in with his current sense of dress, and only elicited more laughter from the trio of troublesome guests; Kakashi merely raised his arm and pointed sharply at the door. The three filed out, Sakura last and as Kakashi was finally left to his own devices, he was only left with the lingering voice of Sakura,

"See you later, Kakashi."

 

* * *

 

 

The great Copy Nin, easily swayed by none, could not believe that he'd actually turned up. Damn how that kuniochi affected him. He couldn't help but feel himself still ill at ease with the fact he wasn't wearing his normal mask. His face was covered, to be sure, and so was his hair, but he just couldn't seem to help shake the paranoia that it was glaringly obvious that it was Hatake Kakashi beneath the cloak of his character  _Urashima Tar_ _ō_ _-_ a character from classic Japanese folklore.

The Copy Nin wore a dark wig and a loose cloth over the bottom of his face (combined with a small henge, to change his eyes) completing the image of his traditionally garbed body. Kakashi wove himself through the crowd, feeling somewhat aimless, he didn't know how to being looking for Sakura – though a larger part of him was terrified by the very idea that  _she was his only reason for attending._ As his eyes drifted from person to person, he saw many different outfits and costumes – some poor in both imagination and effort as well as how well they disguised the person beneath – and others, which he really had no idea who was hiding behind the façade.

It didn't take long for Kakashi to find himself in an empty spot of the well-decorated room, close to the wall, where there were numerous chairs lined as well as a few tables dotted with snacks. Kakashi immediately spotted a lone figure sat alone on the chairs – it might have been against the rules of the night, but Kakashi opened his chakra a little, to sense the party-goers own and smiled a little as he realised it was the kuniochi he was in search of.

He held his distance for a few moments, taking in the simple elegance of her dress, it was long –down to her ankles and was predominantly a crimson colour, though was tempered by flashes of black and silver detail. Her head was almost entirely covered by a mask, it covered her eyes and top of her head, with great tendrils of feathers that reached down to her mid back, effectively covering her hair.

The only bit of her that was showing, were her cheeks, chin and neck – the top of the dress high, but of a netted material. Sexy, but tasteful. He stepped forward, not taking long to gain her attention, but someone else had also stepped up to her, Kakashi – engulfed in the power of his new mask – didn't give it a second thought to slap a hand on his shoulder and give him a slight push. The signal to move on couldn't have been mistaken, but even so the lesser man hesitated, apparently irritated that the kuniochi never seemed to remain unattended for long.

It was more exhilarating than Kakashi might have imagined as he took hold of Sakura's hand and led her further into the crowd; for all of the bustle and confusion of the crowd, it was all too easy to focus solely on the woman in front of him. Her still-green eyes peered out from the sharp, golden edges of the mask, making her eyes seem huge and all seeing; but it was precisely because of that mask, that made it so easy to pretend the night had no repercussions.

 

As soon as he'd found an adequate space, he tugged suddenly on the hand that was connected to hers and she found herself suddenly close enough that his other arm had curled around her waist, and his face merely inches from hers. Neither shinobi was entirely sure what it was about the situation, but they were layered in a world of their own, closed by the crowd and hidden in the thumping music – it was only the space they needed as Kakashi continually stepped forward, or the left and right, trying to keep close to the kuniochi who was continually pulling away from him. Whether it was intentional or not, it was an unbelievable tease of a dance – just as Kakashi got close enough to press his body flush to hers, she'd pull back, and maintain the inch-or-so's distance between them.

The Copy Nin, normally a well restrained man, had been tested by the day's frustrations and pranks – and the playful weaving of the kuniochi in his arms wasn't easily tolerated; the adrenaline and arousal coursing through him had the man ignore everything else – including the mischievous spirit in the corner of the room flicking his hands together and casting a jutsu that had a roughly human shape, created out of mist. It flew specially over to its short-fused target and – just as the victim had leaned forward, intent on pressing his lips to those of his partner's – the ghostly apparition got itself exactly in the way and 'danced' (or at least, wiggled) an irritating sort of jig between the two shinobi.

Kakashi couldn't reign in the barked growl from his throat as he let go of Sakura's hand enough to swipe his fist through the 'ghost', just as it dissipated into nothing, his hand immediately returned to Sakura and tugged her around, spinning them 180 degrees. He would  _not_  be denied this time. Sakura was equally prepared and as he pushed his chin forward, her hand jumped up to pull aside the cloth and, despite the flash of concern that his face would be seen, he was rewarded with the sweet taste of Sakura's lips on his own.

He'd found himself enjoying the kiss they'd shared in and  _alley_  some months previous, but it was nothing compared to the feeling unrestricted by cloth, she was a fiery a kisser as she was a shinobi, her lips demanded as much as he could give, and all the while pleading for more by pulling the last of his attention far from his surroundings and only onto the woman in his arms. Stolen kisses through masks just didn't cut it anymore, not with how this one sent great spurs of electricity chasing through his veins. Neither would waiting so long for another be possible- unfortunately for Kakashi, just as the day had cursed him with poor timing and bad jokes, the Copy Nin's attention was forced from its current resting place and onto the swiftly approaching target.

A great mannequin flew towards them, skimming the top of the crowd and Kakashi was forced to let go of Sakura to bring his arms up to block the strike aimed for him; the figurine collided with the steel-like forearms of the Copy Ninja and ricocheted backwards – in the same instant, however Sakura had slipped away into the crowd – though it wasn't easy to tell if this was due to embarrassment or perhaps she'd just come to her senses, but it was the final straw for Kakashi.

Before he'd even fully registered his frustration and anger at the day from both heaven and hell, his hands flicked together and span through the seals for a complex genjutsu; he opened his sharingan eye (which dispelled the small henge over it, to make it seems as though his eye was open and of a more natural hue). As he finished casting the jutsu, every person in the room was caught under the monstrous jutsu which had them believe a gigantic and thoroughly enraged  _baku_ , his great, striped legs were plonked throughout the crowd – each one of its tiger-like talons were as long as a man's leg. Its great tapir-like trunk reared up and it let out a great, though foul roar – its rage a direct reflection of that which its creator felt.

The crowd was a mix of screams, gasps and , 'oohs' – as it was, ironically the perfect complement to a night of Hallow'd fun; the great beast being the divine creature sent to eat bad dreams and dark things. Kakashi himself swiftly left the scene, as his adrenaline died, it was replaced only with disappointment that his partner had left him and he had, potentially, some nasty broken pieces to pick up tomorrow… amid the lingering loneliness.

Unbeknownst to Kakashi, Sakura paused as soon as she was out in the cool night air, she pushed her mask from her head and rubbed an hand over her face – to her silent observer, her concern and remorse at the swift end to the 'festivities' was obvious as she lightly (and thoughtfully) chewed on her lip. He let out his classic sparkly grin as the kuniochi darted away, only just missing her admirer, himself who left by the same egress moments later, his own disappointment and thwarted satisfaction equally as obvious. Gai, who was beginning to feel sorry for his opponent after all the day's trickery, had been amazed to witness the interaction between him and his former student – Sakura had indeed become a beautiful young woman, but he had not anticipated Kakashi to be the one to give such youthful chase.

As the silver shinobi darted away into the night Gai couldn't keep the grin off his face  _– take heart, rival, you day has been far more successful than you might think!_

..

.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kadoma – They are depicted in many ways, but according to Japanese mythology, they are 'tree-spirits' who may be seen as protectors of the trees or merely just dwellers. There is no consistent agreement on what Kadoma look like, but an example of one form would be the little bobble-headed fellows in Princess Mononoke (damn I love that film! ^_^)
> 
> Urashima Tarō – Japanese folklore tale – a young man rescues a turtle from torture by children and sets it free back to the ocean, later he told that small turtle he saved was the daughter of the Emperor of the Sea, and is called to go down to the palace of the Dragon God. Here he fidns the small turtle he rescued is a beautiful princess called Otohime. After three days he requests to go home – the Dragon agrees and Otoshime, sad he's leaving, gives him a box (a tamatebako) but warns him not to open it. He returns to the surface and finds 300 years have passed, in despair he opens the box and suddenly grows long white hair, loses his teeth and his back bends, from the sea a sad, sweet voice calls, "I told you not to open the box, for it contains your old age,"
> 
> Baku – a mythical beast with (according to some) the body a bear, the head of an elephant (or a tapir), the legs/feet of a tiger, the tail of an ox and the eyes of a rhinoceros; these animals reportedly eat bad dreams – though according to some, they also eat all types of dreams, not just nightmares!


	26. Hidden In Plain Sight

 

 

 

"Sakura! We thought you'd been kidnapped or something!" Ino yelled, slapping the punk-haired kuniochi on the shoulder as the three once-Team-7 members entered the small bar,

"Kidnapped? Me? In the middle of Konoha? When did you start drinking, Ino-pig, at lunch?"

"Forehead, this is your birthday party! It's a little late, I know, but you were in Kumo at the time, so we're hosting it now!"

"Huh?" A nearby TenTen handed Sakura a small saucer of saké before picking up her own,

"Cheers, baka! You act like you've never had a birthday party in your life!" She giggled,

"Hai, hai, it's just… it's a little unexpected." Sakura replied

"That's the surprise bit, hag." Ino rebutted before downing her drink. Sakura rolled her eyes and sipped from her rice wine nonetheless as Naruto threw his arm around her neck and squeezed her close in a hug; though just as the kuniochi looked around, she noticed that a certain silver-haired shinobi had made a miraculous escape to the far side of the bar – and a dark corner – only the lick of his silvery hair was visible through the deeply shadowed bar. Though the kuniochi didn't fully register it at the time, a strange surge of both relief and loneliness shimmered through her at the acknowledgement; seconds later, her attention was drawn by Neji. The serially sombre Hyuuga fixed Sakura with his signature dispassionate stare – though what ruined the image was the glass of beer that he had held in one hand; it made the entire scene look surreal, almost.

"Happy birthday, Sakura-san," The kuniochi rolled her eyes,

"We're the same age, Neji, forget the '-san'. How've you been? I haven't seen you for a long time."

"I've just returned from a six-month mission to Suna, helping the Kazekage."

"Ooh! Don't say that too near Naruto, you'll make him jealous," His thin lips stretched into a sly smirk, causing Sakura to raise an eyebrow, "Don't tell me the desert gave you a sense of humour?"

"Don't hold your breath."

 

Kakashi had taken the opportunity to slip away as soon as they'd crossed the threshold; the unexpected turn of the conversation had thrown the Copy Nin – he'd anticipated maybe an awkward silence or maybe even a forced trivial conversation, but certainly not for the kuniochi to dive right in and ask him about the fact they'd kissed. He didn't even bother to fetch a drink as he ducked out of the main throng and – primarily, away from Sakura – he was  _not_  used to feeling like he'd missed a step. But he couldn't deny either, that a scary sliver of excitement ran through him at the prospect that he might have the opportunity to explore what it was that had Kakashi somehow drawn to her. It was as flutteringly exciting as it was terrifying – did he want to pursue anything with her? Kami knew.

Kakashi couldn't even decide whether he wanted to face the question or not. But certainly not whilst the object of his thoughts was just across the  _crowded_  room. A sudden movement just in front of his drew him out of his thoughts as a bottle of saké was plonked down in the centre of the table,

"My rival! It's been a while!" A typically over-zealous Maito Gai, gleaming teeth, leg-warmers, spandex and all, loomed over him, "I'm pleased to be here at the birthday party for the beautiful Sakura-san! But I think, right now, a supreme test of our manliness… through saké!" The Copy Nin only just managed to resist a roll of his eyes,

"Gai, you  _want_  to get drunk?" Said Green Beast paused, somewhat suspiciously, whilst averting his eyes – an obvious admission of guilt;

"Ah, ahahah! Never my rival! It's just… with another of the Konoha 11 celebrating…"

"What's really bothering you, Gai?" The Green Beast looked aside for a moment, his eyes darted around – apparently nervous,

"It's just, do you remember when we used to gather here for birthday parties? Hahah, do you remember Genma's nineteenth?" Even Kakashi couldn't resist a small smirk beneath his mask at the memory – he'd only been fifteen at the time and well under the legal age to drink, but under the frivolity Genma and the others of his age group had caused, nobody really noticed. They'd practically taken over the bar (and thankfully, the ever-playful and benignly mischievous barman paid them no mind, so long as they didn't leave kunai marks in the tables), Kakashi had been a very reluctant attendant at first, he'd just got back from his last mission with Rin and it had been one of the worst of his life; she'd been lost and so had a part of Kakashi. Gai had dragged him to the bar and placed a bottle of saké in front of him, it didn't take much persuasion to convince Kakashi to down it – the promise of failure to recall was too much to resist.

"Sure I do; some of it, at least." Kakashi said, prompting a grin from Gai as he pulled out the stool to drop himself to a seat on it,

"Before then, I hadn't thought it possible for you to get any grumpier! But everyone enjoyed your singing!" The Copy Nin pulled a face,

"Don't remind me, I think I'm glad I can't remember that particular part."

"Nonsense! If you ever get tired of being a shinobi, you can make a living as a singer, my good rival!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes and pulled the pot of rice wine over to him, the Copy Nin tipped up the bottle and allowed a glug of liquid to fill his saucer; the loud humming of multiple conversations around them creating a sense of privacy. Kakashi's eye drifted up to the top skirting of the ceiling by the wall, where the name of every shinobi (who achieved the rank of Genin) within the past fifty years was written on the pale-paintwork. From where Kakashi was sat he could just about make out the names of Namiashi Raidou, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Kenshin Kuroshi, Urushima Izuru, Nawakai… _wait, Urushima?_  Kakashi's mind suddenly caught up to speed with his eye,  _his grandfather's name was written up there? Then surely so were his mother's, father's and maybe even those of his other grandparent's?_

He ignored Gai's quizzical expression and calling of his name as the silver-haired shinobi sat up and began to scour the top of the walls, squinting through the smoky atmosphere at the multitude of crammed-in names.  _If the name was written up there, then there had to be some formal record of them in the shinobi records…_

"Kakashi? Kakashi, my esteemed rival, what has stolen your attention from me?" His single visible eye suddenly flicked back to Gai's inquisitive expression,

"Uh… I just thought of a new challenge for us. Gai, can you-I mean, I bet you can't find – and list – all of the surnames written in here beginning with 'U' and 'H'!" Kakashi proposed, in his most taunting voice – if you needed something done with unnecessary haste, call in Gai. Said taijutsu-specialist, nearly choked on his sip of saké at hearing his rival's words;

"Kakashi! I accept your challenge! The first to complete the list will win! Mwahah! I already know what your forfeit will be!" The man grinned giddily before he took a second victory sip of rice wine, span on his stool and glared at the tiny, written characters. Kakashi meanwhile, too turned his attention back to the shinobi names, for some reason almost surprised to find his own name written up there – he shouldn't really have been, but it still felt somewhat odd to see he was so accepted by the village in such a… corporeal sense. What nearly shocked him, however, was to find that  _Sakura's_  name had been written right next to his own; it took a few seconds of staring at the two to check that he was reading them correctly – apparently all of the names where just written in where there was space, with no thought given to association, age or when they became shinobi, but there was just something about seeing her name written next to his that made him feel very aware.

His eye, of its own accord, drifted from the kanji characters over to the kuniochi herself, who was sat at a nearby table, amid Hinata, Sasuke, Chouji and Kiba; the Copy Nin had to admit, that when he saw her sat with her own age-mates, it felt as though he was looking at her as she was – a young girl. But he in no way felt that gap when it was just the two of them talking, the kuniochi suddenly shifted and her green eyes met his, managing to shock the shinobi as his eye fled hers in a – very poor – attempt to cover the fact he'd been staring at her.

_Kuso – how stupid could he get?_ Kakashi didn't want to dwell on the unbearably awkward situation any more than he had to so he forced himself back onto the task at hand, though his mind still lingered on the pink-haired kuniochi just across the room. And, as if a personal insult, his eye immediately resettled on the kuniochi's name and he frowned at it, as though those two damn words were causing him all the trouble.

"Ah ha! I have found them all, my rival! All of the names you declared!"

"Oh?"

"Right! I shall list them first, would you like them in alphabetical order?" Kakashi cocked his head slightly,

"For those beginning with 'H' begin alphabetically, and for 'U' list them in reverse alphabetical order," By the twitch of Gai's jaw, Kakashi knew he'd hit the nail on the head of how most to irritate his rival,

"Fine! Hagane Kotetsu-kun! The honourable Haruno Sakura-san! My esteemed rival himself! My esteemed rival's father–"

"Wait, what? Where's that name?" Gai twisted in his seat and pointed over to a particularly dark corner where the kanji was written, in very tiny writing,  _Hatake Sakumo_.

"My esteemed rival's… oh… I seem to have made a mistake! It appears that my great rival's mother should be listed before he." Kakashi's back snapped taught as he searched the mesh of names –  _both_ his parents were listed here?

"Where's her name?" Gai looked even more confused at Kakashi's surprise and merely lifted one of his hands to point over, close to where Sakumo's name had been written; " _Hatake Eiko,'_ " Kakashi whispered under his breath, astounded that there had been such a memorial to all of the shinobi of Konoha, including his parents, that he'd been so utterly unaware of. Kakashi found himself frozen for a moment, feeling somehow reassured – as though he were suddenly a ten year old boy, finding out his dad had just saved the village. Of course for Kakashi, almost the exact opposite had been true, but the sudden strike to his heart, feeling that his hatred towards an unfeeling village might have been misplaced, was both a thrill and a blessing.

"–seen a ghost, my rival, what is the problem?" Gai's voice suddenly drew Kakashi's attention back to present and he realised that he was on his feet, with his mouth a little open – though thankfully the mask covered that embarrassing thing, quite nicely.

"I…I'm sorry Gai, but I've just remembered that I have to…uh, feed Mr Ukki, I really have to go – sorry!" With that, Kakashi ignored the Azure Beast's spluttering and excused himself from the table; he pushed gently through the crowd, though he was giving little thought to where he was going until he knocked smack into a very familiar pink person,

"Ow…oh, Kakashi," The kuniochi's voice easily mirrored the uncertainty that was apparently strung between them, she stepped back from him, leaving a clear foot, though she might as well have been squeezing her arms around his chest for how tense he felt. "Um…" Her eyes peered up to his – curiously, as her hand rose to rub at the back of her neck,

"I'm sorry, Sakura, but I've just remembered something important,"

"…Right…well, thanks for coming," Her eyes remained locked with his, and he couldn't muster the effort to try and pull his away, instead enjoying the moment he got simply to  _look_  without having to ration the seconds,

"I'll…see you soon," They slipped past each other and Kakashi for one, couldn't decide whether he was glad to be free of the hesitant crackling between them, or if he was irritated by the sensation that he was  _missing_  something. Pushing it from his mind, he nudged open the door, immediately tensed his muscles and leapt up onto the rooftops, vanishing into the night.

 

* * *

 

Tsunade looked out over the meeting room, seeing all of the shinobi she had called for – with the exception of one very conspicuous absentee – Hatake Kakashi. It had already been over twenty minutes since the door had last opened and the Hokage was on the verge of grinding her teeth in irritation – Kakashi had largely out grown his chronic tardiness (claiming that it was nothing to do with maturity, but rather, his distinctively  _orange_  charge's growth) but even so, five minutes was an unacceptable line to cross.

"Oh for goodness' sake! Someone go find that chronologically inept brat, Kakashi, and drag him here by his uncombed hair!" The momentary pause that swept over the room, created a sudden vacuum – Tsunade really was a terrifying woman. But, after not too long, Kurenai rose to her feet and slipped out of the door, leaving a nervous crowd and a literally crackling Hokage;

"Hey…hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto leaned over to whisper to his life-long friend and teammate, "Where's Kakashi? He left early last night? What's he up to?" Sakura couldn't help but feel her attention spike at the mention of her former sensei's name – after their encounters ( _plural_ ) the previous evening, she'd been unable to think about anything or anyone else. Her instincts told her that there was more going on than some 'kissers' remorse', Kakashi had clearly been thrown – and Sakura couldn't decide if her worry over what had happened was more to do with her own insecurities rather than a genuine concern that Kakashi was really against their exploration of anything further between them.

The kuniochi was pulled from her thoughts by the reappearance of Kurenai followed by a rather crummy-looking Kakashi, his hair was pretty droopy and his eye looked heavy – in fact he looked entirely like he hadn't slept all night.

"I apologise for my tardiness, Tsunade-sama, I was out on an early morning walk and I starting getting chased by a…"

"Shut it and sit down," Tsunade sighed, whilst rubbing her temples, "I have called you all here for a reason and I'd like to get on with it. Yesterday I received a visit from two shinobi – one of Kumogakure and another from Iwagakure. Officially, Iwagakure has now declared war on Uzushiogakure and, since Konoha has said that it will defend Hidden Whirpool, we will be subject to attacks as well;" It took only a few moments before a few rippling murmurs flooded the room, "I have detained the two shinobi and they are now officially prisoners of Konoha,"

"Tsu-Tsunade-sama, do we know what battle strength Iwa is capable of at the moment?" Called out a voice – which sounded like Anko's;

"Right now, Iwa is in a very poor state, in fact, its military strength is so poor we could probably crush them inside an afternoon, however, Kumo is a big problem; of all the hidden shinobi villages, Kumo is the one with military and tactical strength on par with Konoha." Tsunade finished and there was a hesitant pause within the room – as though no shinobi could entirely understand the apparent juxtaposition about the seemingly random allegiance.

"ANBU have already been sent out and we'll have more information soon, but prepare heavily for deployment within the month – either to Uzu, Iwa or Northern Fire – I've already sent word out to Suna of the situation and it'll be another couple of days before I hear a reply.

"Recently, two of my shinobi went on missions to Iwagakure and Kumogakure respectively. At the time, we had no idea of the significance of these missions until my shinobi returned and I received the 'visit' from the two agents. In short, Iwagakure is a mess – its shinobi village has been butchered into quarters and each is ruled by a separate Lord." Tsunade paused, though started again in time to cut off the confused and almost incredulous murmurings of the shinobi in front of her, "However, they must still have something up their sleeve if they're confident about their ability to attack Konoha. Kumo can only be a part of that confidence, but they too, still hold significant weight – according to the mission, they've invented a new form of virus, which proved to end up and epidemic within Kaminari no kuni,"

"What?" A voice shouted before the Hokage could continue, "They created a virus and released it on their own population?"

"Don't interrupt! But you're right – that appears to be exactly what Kumo has done. I sent Hatake Kakashi and Haruno Sakura on those missions, respectively. Sakura, as the primary medic I assigned to that mission, would you please offer a concise brief on what you found on your recent mission to Kumogakure," Sakura nearly rolled her eyes at what she'd predicated to happen – though, as she rose to her feet and all eyes turned to her, she was  _so_  grateful to all of the times she'd worked in Konoha Medical and Tsunade had forced her to present her findings to a room full of Genin interns – or resident  _Jounin_ medics.

"Well, the key thing to say here is that whilst the virus they created is extremely virile and poses a great risk to any who encounters it, I have managed to create a cure."  _That_  certainly created more than a few murmurs and the kuniochi had to work hard to control her smile of defeated amusement – in briefings, things always looked either ridiculously over or under stated.

 

* * *

 

 

Naruto, Sai and Sakura had dragged Sasuke with them as they went to Kakashi's to meet up with their former sensei – all of them were uneasy about the upcoming conflict between Iwa and Konoha and Naruto had insisted that they all make time to meet up, and as was now typical, it was Kakashi's house that got gate crashed. Things between the entirety of team seven had been very good – Sasuke's awareness of the social niceties had drastically improved, like his ability to not only think about  _what_ he was saying, but likewise  _how_  he said it. In fact, Sakura was radically surprised at just how easy things were between them all…well, except Sai and Sasuke. It had never really occurred to her before, but Sai was an extremely loyal character and Sai's behaviour was very much like that of a dog defending his masters from a hostile stranger.

Even so, they managed to be civil enough to one another so, as Naruto rapped on Kakashi's front door in the mid-afternoon, their focus was more on an extremely groggy and rather dishevelled shinobi,

"Uh? Naruto? Why are you guys here?"

"To talk about war, baka-sensei! Why were you sleeping?"

"I was up all night… Buru needed a wash," He offered feebly, blinking at the bright sunlight peeking through the trees, "Do we have to do this now? We haven't even received any orders yet,"

"Oh c'mon! I want some tea and to know what Iwa's like – you went on a mission there recently, didn't you?"

"He has a point, Kakashi," Sasuke even supported – causing the elder nin to sigh heavily, just as his eye flicked over the small crowd of ninjas, lingering slightly upon the only female present, though as soon as her eyes met his, both fled. Since Sakura was at the back of the group, the sudden change appeared seamless, but both shinobi couldn't hide from themselves the unmistakable bolt of starved attention that threw itself at the other, told both nin a lot… that they weren't sure they wanted to know.

Kakashi eventually stepped back and allowed the others to enter his home, he was dressed only in his navy base-layers, missing his flak-jacket and pouches (and with the addition of a pair of dark  _tabi_ [traditional split toed socks]); his style was thoroughly casual, but it suited him. Sakura slipped passed him, as he continued to hold the door, the kuniochi hated it, but she could feel what a conscious effort she was putting in to avoiding him; she knew it was exactly that reason she'd put so much effort in to making sure the last Uchiha joined them. The more people that were present, the less likely it was Sakura would have to deal so personally with Kakashi  _kuso, what kind of a coward was she?_

All five of them took a seat around the kitchen table as Kakashi flicked the kettle on and lethargically scratched his scalp, ruffling his large tufts of hair,

"So what exactly did you want to talk about that couldn't wait another second?"

"Iwagakure!"

"Right, right…"

"Naruto is correct, Kakashi-san, you hold potentially invaluable information on the military strength and situation within Iwagakure itself; just as Sakura holds equally worthwhile facts upon the might and capabilities of Kumogakure," Sai succinctly and rather eloquently explained,

"He has a point," Even Sasuke supported, which, unbeknownst to the rest of the group huddled around the small kitchen table, was still enough to raise an eyebrow,

"All right, all right," Sakura forced herself to speak, although she felt bizarrely nervous doing so, "Kakashi, are you all right? You seem very… sluggish," His great dark orb settled all too quickly upon her, though the kuniochi forced herself to keep her attention upon him – to look away would just be too weird,

"…Hmm, I thought I told you, I was up all night washing-"

"Yea, right! I've seen you finish an entire night's stag and you've looked less like the dead!" Naruto cut in and the great Copy Nin sighed over-dramatically as he turned his attention back to the kettle,

"You wanted to ask me about Iwa?"

Naruto comically rolled his eyes – aiming for laughs amid the table – before he 'mmhed' his agreement, "What state is Iwa in nowadays? Are they really a threat? Tsunade-baa-chan said that they're nothing to worry about but…"

"Do not underestimate Iwa, it is not a foolhardy nation and if it did not seriously believe that it had a serious chance of winning, then it would not make such brazen threats," Kakashi turned and placed down the pot in the centre of the table before seating himself on a spare zabuton, "Aya, I forgot cups, Sakura, would you mind?" The kuniochi didn't reply, merely turned herself to fetch five cups from the cupboard behind her; as she turned back to the table, however, her eyes found Sasuke's and the dark eyes that she once found so alluring, narrowed in curious suspicion. She brushed him off by tuning her attention to the teapot and stretching her hand forward to grasp it by its wicker handle,  _it wasn't that weird she knew where Kakashi's crockery, was it?-_ Her hand suddenly met Kakashi's, before the medic nin could stop herself, a sudden and startled 'Oh!' escaped her as she hastily reeled in the offending hand that prickled from the unexpected contact with the man.

"S-sorry, Kakashi,"

"It's fine," He muttered, lifting the teapot and dividing the contents into the cups, apparently without second thought – though Sasuke again made his 'analysis' known to her through a (somewhat incredulous) raising of his eyebrows.  _Damn him for drawing attention! His awareness is making me feel too aware, too! Grrr!_

 

"Anyway, as I was saying, Tsunade-sama was right in that Iwa is very weak; it is a divided village, with each of the four Lords having claimed a district has left the shinobi infrastructure in ruins. But what I'm not really understanding right now, is just what it could have to offer a very powerful Kumo that would make creating an alliance something so attractive. The balance between the Five Great Nations is very tenuous and even the mere  _suggestion_  of covert cooperation could shake the foundations of the balance of power," Kakashi's words were both logical, but harrowing – if Iwa was so weak, what could it be offering Kumo that was just that tempting? Well, his words were harrowing to all but Naruto (whose eyes were swirling like freshly brewed ramen),

"If you are correct Kakashi, then I think the next logical place to begin would be with Sakura's analysis of Kumogakure. You were there recently, weren't you?" The kuniochi looked up from the cup of tea between her hands that she'd been absently eddying during Kakashi's thoughts, to find the table starting at her; Sakura's mind had been full of nothing but Kumo (occasionally interspersed with bouts of Kakashi) over the past few days – and since the kuniochi had been made aware of the political situation of the world, she'd been racking her brain for what she'd seen in Kumo that lead her to believe it was on the verge of betraying Konoha – and honestly, there was really not much to go on.

"I was in Kumo for a long time – and almost all of my dealing was with the hospital and its staff. To that end, there's actually very little information I can give you that will be useful since I saw so little that would lead me to believe Kumo was of any serious threat of Konoha. But…" She paused to take a sip of tea and assess the others' reactions – though carefully avoiding Kakashi's eye – she couldn't help but  _notice_ , "Aside from a surprisingly anti-attitude that the hospital had about working for cures to the virus I was researching, which, by the way isn't entirely unusual," Sakura added, with her own facial expression which showed just how deeply unimpressed she was at the reality of this, "But other than that, the only real hostility I encountered was with a factionist group who were actually responsible for the creation of the virus…so I honestly am not sure what's happened in that regard, unless there's been some sort of upheaval or a deeper and more chilling deception on behalf of Kumo than I care to imagine, I can't say what might have prompted the change,"

Sasuke was the first to ask a question, "Did you encounter much hostility for you being a Konoha shinobi?"

"Some, but really nothing like what I'd anticipate for their planning a  _war_ …honestly…" Sakura began, her head continuing to shake in vague bewilderment, "Admittedly, there seemed to be a lot less concern on behalf of the higher ranks from the shinobi council, I never once met with any, let alone the Raikage, I'd thought it was weird, but since I was so swamped with work, I hadn't really time to make a fuss." She paused to take a swig of tea, "Ultimately, the apparent cause of the virus was from a skilled, though apparently fairly minor faction, though that in itself doesn't really make sense…if they posed such a threat, I would have expected significantly more investigation and protection from the Kumo shinobi but I never saw anything that suggested the Kumo shinobi had any concerns. Of course, they would be extremely secretive about it, but even when I'd been kidnapped, I saw no evidence whatsoever of Kumogakure shinobi…"

"Bastards!" Naruto noisily and protectively interrupted, only drawing an exasperated roll of the eyes from Sakura,

"Settle down, Naruto," Kakashi's ever cool voice smoothed over the rough edges of the broken silence, feeling his own prickle at the back of his consciousness at the fact Sakura had been left so unprotected in an environment that proved so hostile.

"But Kumo must have known all the time that Sakura was in the way of their plans and wanted her dead!"

"Dickless has a point – Kumo had likely orchestrated Sakura's actions and potential progress and so had he the faction act on their behalf to attempt eliminate her,"

"…Sakura you said you'd found a cure for the illness?"

"I was very close to it, there are still a few final things that need smoothing out – I'm going to meet Tsunade-sama a little later to continue some of the research."

"I take it the faction are well aware of what progress you've made…but it still beggars the question of what they plan to do with it, after they've essentially found the counter to their own weapon,"

"It's fair to say," Sai continued, "That they were expecting Sakura to be killed – but since she wasn't, it's also possible that they've changed their tactics."

"Well,  _duh_ , but what will they have changed them too?"

"If we knew that, Naruto, then there'd never be any war." Kakashi sighed, "We shouldn't jump to conclusions and instead prepare ourselves as best we can," The Copy Nin rose to his feet and returned his empty cup to the sink, those at the table, now realising that the man had managed to drink without giving them the slightest sight of his face.

"It would make the most sense to just think about the orders we're given as we're given them…anything else is just superfluous and distracting," The ex-ROOT member's calm words helped in the cooling of tensions – particularly of Naruto's,

"Sai's right," The Copy Nin continued, as he turned around again, his eye seeming to naturally settle upon the only kuniochi at the table; she managed to hold his gaze for only a few moments before she looked away, ironically to Sasuke, who held a mostly passive, though tintedly curious expression. She pointedly ignored it. The Copy Nin slouched slightly as he leaned against his kitchen counter, his arms folded,

"We'll know more when we receive our orders for deployment…but for now, I'd really like to get some sleep."

"Aww, Kakashi its one in the afternoon!" He waved his hand in dismissal at the blonde's complaints, and wandered towards his front door, followed – with a very noticeable lack of complaint – by the remaining three visitors to his home,

"Naruto, don't you have ramen to eat?" Kakashi accurately guess the one thing that would encourage Naruto the most and an orange blur shot past him and halted on the threshold, punching his fist into the air, shouting the offer:

"Whoo! Last one there's a retarded jutsu!" Naruto's happy whoop had Sasuke and Sai share a brief glance – of no doubt defeated acceptance of the jinchuuriki's lingering stupidity – before they both took off leaving Kakashi and Sakura behind, and Sakura both mortified and thrilled that no one had directly checked she left at that moment. She wasn't sure what it was, but she just couldn't find the right words the come out of her mouth for the fact she and Kakashi were stood by the open door for more than a minute with neither moving. Before long, though, Kakashi slid the fusuma closed in front of Sakura and allowed his baritone, and slightly scratchy voice to finally break the silence,

"Sakura, come with me for a minute," Her heart might have been thumping in her chest, but she followed nonetheless as Kakashi traced the steps down his wooden hall and into his study, where there seemed to be hundreds of sheets of paper scattered around,

"What the hell…"

"I had a bit of a brainstorm last night – which, admittedly is the reason why I left your party early last night," His back was still to her, but she couldn't mistake the tone of his voice and it brought an unavoidably smile to her lips,

"It's all right, what is it?"

"In the bar, there are the names of every shinobi from the past half century who achieved the rank of Genin are written on a ceiling skirt; up there are the names of my parents and grandparents and from that, I remembered something you'd said to me about medical records so I went in search of them last night,"

"…At that time of night? Was anyone even there?" Sakura found herself asking, somewhat incredulously at the piles of sheets and folders;

"Ah, about that, I, err," Kakashi fumbled for a response and the kuniochi helplessly rolled her eyes at the incredibly typical behaviour of Kakashi – for such a long-serving shinobi,  _taking_  information was a challenging reflex to combat,

"I get the picture, what have you found out?" She continued, kneeling down beside the pile as Kakashi, too, mirrored her actions; the kuniochi not quite noticed just how  _natural_ it all seemed for her to be so privy to such personal information, especially by the Copy Nin's standards;

"A lot; it seemed that whilst there was never listed an official cause for the illness that resulted in my mother's death – no doubt due to fear or possibly bribery. But it seemed that an autopsy was conducted in secret and determined that she died of a blood infection,"

"Wait, wait, why would a medic refuse to say that this was the case whilst she was still alive? What would they have been scared of?"

"Oh, right, well, it seems that my mother was considered something of a threat to the Uchiha clan, as was my father and his parents. Apparently her knowledge about my father's chakra was enough to warrant her a black mark against her name," The pink haired kuniochi couldn't quite resist the frown that teased at her eyebrows, she had no idea how old Kakashi had been when he'd lost his parents, other than the fact he had been a child at the time.

"How old were you, then?"

"Four,"

"What was it about your father's chakra that had the Uchiha in such knots? You said something about yin/yang manipulations?" She twisted her neck slightly, to look at him – meeting his eyes before she could think better of it; she looked away just as quickly, finding her heart racing and her awareness far too great for the narrow distance between them. Still being able to tell that Kakashi was looking at her through her peripheral vision, she found herself willing him to look away – just as she willed the blush not to rise to her cheeks.

"…Right, it was all to do with his chakra – it was artificially injected into my grandmother by the Uzu council whilst she was still an active nin there."

"Whoa! What? How did they get a hold of  _chakra_  in the sense that it could possibly be  _injected_  into somebody? Chakra is something that ineffably bound to the body! It can't be  _separated..._  at least, not like an organ or blood could be, I don't understand," Her eyebrows crinkled in vague confusion as her brain whirred as she sought hypothesis after hypothesis, but none that she could find satisfied her inner sceptic.

"I don't really understand it myself, but that is what apparently happened," Kakashi continued, "And it was for that reason that she and my grandfather, Fuyu, fled Uzu to seek asylum in Konoha. She was apparently a great asset and was assumed to end up becoming a great weapon for the Whirling Tides," Sakura subtly eyed Kakashi up and down, he really was being uncharacteristically forward with all of this information… what was going on with him?

"And Konoha just accepted them? Were Konoha and Uzu sort of allies at that time? Wouldn't they have handed her back?"

"Apparently they had good reason to flee, it being when tensions over Uzu were really reaching a head and their mutual skill mean the Second had really no grounds to refuse – especially since she was pregnant at the time…though, of course, the Uchiha really got their pants in a twist about it,"

"Aah," They fell silent for a little while, each with their own trains of thought, until Sakura spoke again, "You know those pain-tags that you found in the middle of Fire? And the one Isaski-san owned? That you said your mother had created,"

"Yea,"

"Did you ever figure out how she made those? Or how she could set them to a specific  _chakra_  type?" Kakashi fixed his eye on her again and watched her carefully, though it only made the kuniochi remember how aware she was of his presence;

"No, not yet, though I haven't had much time to study them."

"Right, did you ever find any notes on how they work?"

"What are you getting at?"

"If such a tag is possible, then don't you think it might be able to help us develop them as a potential weapon or trap?"

"A prototype is a long way off from a viable weapon, Sakura, and realistically, these aren't even a  _prototype_  yet,"

"Of course I know  _that_ ," She grumbled, slightly irritated at his condescending words, "But analysis of the tag could help to give us an edge in the up-coming war… I know its not going to be an instant thing, but we'll need everything we can get,"

"That is true, I'll definitely look into its mechanics," The conversation lulled again and this time, Sakura definitely felt her presence was overwhelming – his eye was on her again, too and she really had no idea what to do; instead, her instinctive uncertainty acted for her and she was on her feet in no time.

"Well, I guess I should probably head off," The unnaturally nervous kuniochi muttered, ignoring the quiet call of her name by the man still kneeling on the floor; she nearly stole down the corridor, towards the front door, before Kakashi was again at her heels, this time his voice clear and unmistakable,

"Sakura." She could hear him take a few paces closer, though still leaving a fair distance between them; "We still have to… talk, don't we?" She froze on the spot at his words,  _yes._

"Do we?"

He let out a breath of laughter, "And here  _you_  were the one pushing for some answers yesterday,"

"Y-yeah…yea I was," She sighed, placing her hands on her hips whilst turning around to face him, still not quite brave enough to meet his gaze; though feeling vastly eased by his humorous spin,

"You wanted to know if I... regretted the kiss? If I wanted to pretend it never happened? No, I don't. I can't say I was particularly…  _prepared_  for it to happen, as weird as that sounds; but the more I think about it, the more I'm glad that it happened." Sakura found her eyes irresistibly drawn to his as she listened to his voice, it was his typical calm timbre – though there was an edge to it – and so reassuring to hear Kakashi was nervous too. His expression was serious but unthreatening, and was one Sakura wasn't entirely sure how to respond to – she couldn't even get her voice to work or her brain to form sentences; the Copy Nin took a tentative step closer,  _what was wrong with her? Why was she so nervous all of a sudden?_

"I have always cared a great deal about you Sakura, but recently that has changed slightly – in a way that means I'm no longer satisfied with keeping my distance, with having you only as a friend, it just doesn't seem right…" He seemed to shift just a little bit, his eye darting away to quickly check on the walls before returning to meet her eyes, "I'd really…like to see where things could go between us. If you're willing?" Sakura had to admit, she was quite shocked that Kakashi had been so forward and honest with his thoughts – rather than offering a nonchalant shrug, or even flat out disinterest. It took a moment for the kuniochi to find her voice,

"A-are you sure? I was pretty shocked when we… uh… kissed, but I…" Sakura shook her head slightly, suddenly feeling a lot more relaxed now that the big and shadowy question mark had been revealed – and what Kakashi had to say was infinitely less terrifying than what she had been supposing. "I…certainly am curious and frankly, yes, I think I do want to see where this might lead between us but… I'm a little  _scared_  too." She forced her eyes back to his, "Kakashi, I consider you one of my closest friends – closer even than the boys – and I as much as I want us to be closer, I think I'm more scared of the thought that–"

"It won't happen," Kakashi assured, in his typical calm timbre, "As much as I want to take things further, there's no way I'd allow it to come between our friendship – you mean far too much to me for this to be something I'd be prepared to jeopardise you for," The pink haired kuniochi let out a breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding as she now found herself looking at the man vaguely expectantly,

"So what now?" It didn't take Kakashi long to cross the distance between them and drop his hands, at first, to her shoulders, his fingers easily curling around the contours – the slight pressure of them a familiar and sorely needed comfort for the awkward atmosphere that had so unusually brewed between them.

The large hands that belonged to the man who'd so intensely ensnared her attention tentatively smoothed over and down her back, pulling her closer to him as he dipped his head and pressed his still mask covered lips to her own. It didn't take a moment for her to respond, and even less time for her to feel frustrated by the material of his mask and her hands – almost under their own steam leapt up to the front of his shirt. She could feel the Copy Nin pressing a little more firmly, before, after a moment, and a sudden chill on her back where the warmth of his hand was taken away, the kuniochi was suddenly rewarded with the warm, pliable flesh of Kakashi's lips, which gripped her own and brought on a swift stoke to the mutual fire that burned within them both. Kakashi seemed to all-too-easily find the contours of her lips as his hand crept up to the base of her neck and her own slipped around his waist to smooth up his back.

Before long they pulled apart and Sakura took the opportunity to – not only get a first glimpse at the elusive face – which held an adorably impish smile; though she couldn't help saying the first thing that sprang to her mind,

"I can't believe you stole medical records."  _Kami_ , if she thought his cheeky smile was cute, the hearty grin she received in response damn near made her heart skip a beat.

..

.


	27. In A Sliver Of Silver Moonlight

_Sakura had so nearly missed attending this. So nearly, in fact, that she was about ten minutes late; she's been all ready, but just found herself stood in front of the door, waiting to turn the handle…but she'd directly contributed to his death, how could she show such disrespect by showing up at his funeral? …A sudden rap at the door almost had her jump out of her skin, restraining the yelp that nearly escaped her, she forced herself to breather deep and slow. The kuniochi reached for the door handle and pulled it open, forcing a straight face – maybe she could have some distraction to escape Escher's stairs?_

_"…Shinji? Uruki?"_

_"Sakura-Taichou… are you ready?"_

_"…You shouldn't call me that, I'm not your Captain anymore,"_

_"You were for this mission, Sakura-Taichou, you lead us on our first A class mission! You took care of us and gave us guidance when we needed it! Ikori looked up to you so much, it just wouldn't be right without you there, Sakura-Taichou!" The kuniochi sighed in defeat and stepped over the threshold, closing the door behind her, offering a rueful smile at the two younger shinobi as they stood either side of her. As they walked up to the KIA stone, seeing the rows of attendees, and ahead of which, Hokage Tsunade stood; her head bowed and her hands clasped in quiet remorse. Sakura almost balked at the idea of being both seen and ridiculed for her attendance, but both Shinji and Uruki had kept close by her, close enough to drag her along with them when they kept on walking. As they found their place, Sakura's eyes found a woman across from her, just adjacent to the KIA stone with her eyes red an heavy,_ she must be Ikori's mother. _Her eyes locked next with Tsunade's, and the powerful woman began her eulogy,_

_"We are gathered here to honour the memory of Hirotome Ikori, who was a valued and talented shinobi medic of Konohagakure. At only 19, he was already an accomplished medic who had earned the respect of his peers and superiors and we will forever mourn this wonderful young man, who lost his life in the line of duty. His work on this mission had invaluably contributed with our efforts in conflict with Iwa and Kumogakure and we'll take a minute to remember the sacrifice he made for the lives of his teammates and of his village." Tsunade's voice left the peace undisturbed as quickly as it had been broken; Sakura's eyes fell upon the engraved name, and she did her best to think of positive things that she remembered about Ikori – all of the jokes and support he'd offered whilst on their mission. As the funeral ended, she found herself wandering aimlessly out of the graveyard, the majority of the attendees had swiftly, though respectfully, departed and the kuniochi was left alone with her thoughts. Or rather, it seemed that way until she nearly had a heart attack from the sudden voice beside her that – shamefully – caught her completely unawares._

_"It wasn't your fault." Partly from shock and partly from despair, she could only reply with a sigh, though she could easily feel the eye of her silver-haired once-sensei upon her, apparently waiting for a more defined response._

_"…Please don't give me that," She sighed, "I know all the lines and I understand all of these supposedly comforting words you have to say, Kakashi, but I'm really not in the mood,"_

_"Okay, then – how's your leg?" Sakura's frown was immediate and belying her coursing frustration; she didn't think she'd been limping too much,_

_"Its fine,"_

_"Hmm?" She could just imagine his eyebrow raising in faux naive questioning, that was so typical of Kakashi – he was evidently in search of something, though was would remain a mystery for as long as he desired to keep it that way. She allowed herself to focus on watching his profile through her peripheral vision, he appeared thoroughly relaxed, he excused his usual air of strength and authority – he was exactly the rock she needed, "Well, it's been a rough week for you – we only got back six days ago and you haven't stopped since – this will take some time to sink in,"_

_"I know it will, I just…" Her words failed her for a moment, but Kakashi was patient, "I just…feel so guilty for his death…not just because I was his team captain, but that whole situation – they killed him because they had me – if I hadn't ignored Uruki's warning or even just have paid more attention we wouldn't have both been captured...and maybe–"_

_"Sakura," The elder shinobi interjected gently, "The mission was an extremely high-risk one, even before you discovered what was really going on – when you're at the mercy of your enemies, you don't have any leeway," He turned towards her and forced her eyes to his, "It was incredible that not more of you were lost on that mission; Sakura, the loss of Ikori was tragic and needless, but that is the ultimate risk we all take on missions, I know this, you know this and he knew this. Its difficult not to, but the only person responsible for Ikori's death was the shinobi who wielded the kunai…or cast the jutsu." The kuniochi lowered her head as a mixture of both reluctant acceptance and lingering grief - she was still the one who'd led the mission, been the Captain, and that made her responsible for all her men, not matter what situation they were in._

_But even so, she knew that Kakashi spoke the truth - and although she felt responsible, it wasn't her who was to blame._

 

* * *

 

"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan – where are you being posted?" Naruto asked hurriedly, as he swung in through the open window, landing a foot from the kuniochi who was sitting on her sofa, feet up on the kotatsu, with a mug of tea to her lips. She looked thoroughly non-plussed at the sudden whirling orange that appeared,

"To Uzushio, but not for another month or so, I won't be heading out until after Kakashi gets back from Suna,"  _Shit,_  she thought, suddenly, realising that there was really no need for her to mention Kakashi at all,  _Kami-sama, focus!_  Thankfully Naruto didn't pick up on it –

"Oh, right, Kakashi-sensei's gotta go to Suna to direct the forces before heading up to Kumo. Kinda annoying he's gotta go all the way there then come back to go right up to Cloud a week later," Naruto groused, plonking himself down on the sofa beside the kuniochi;

"Well, it's really not a good idea relay messages across such open country at this stage of the war, but you're right, Kakashi will spend more time travelling than he will fighting, I think,"

"Yea, I feel bad for him, I hate travelling!" The Jinchurriki exclaimed, in a rather exuberant fashion; though they fell silent for a few moments more.

"What's your posting? And to where?" She asked, breaking the silence and setting her now empty mug back on the kotatsu as Naruto grinned,

"To Iwa next week, I'll be coordinating one of the sections…"

"Ooh! Nice one, Naruto – not bad for a Genin, ne?" She teased, grinning at her friend's immediate frown; a sudden knock at the door drew both their attentions. Sakura was at the door in a moment, but she was amazed to see who was at the door,

"Sai?"

"Hello Hag-face, Kakashi-san has requested us all to meet him at training ground three in half-an-hour for a training session," Before she could get a word out, Naruto whooped,

"Yea, yea! A training session!" He squeezed himself outside the apartment door, grinning like a maniac,

"You better be ready, Sakura-chan – I'll kick your ass!" She rolled her eyes but nodded,

"Hai, hai…I'll see you guys there," After the kuniochi had closed her door, she tested her leg through doing a few light stretches – it was still slightly tender, but it was infinitely better, so long as she moved carefully, it shouldn't prove to be anything much to worry over. After gathering her pouches full of weapons, scrolls and medical supplies, she wound her way down towards the training grounds; the day was both bright and warm and the villagers of Konoha appeared their normal cheerful selves and for the first time since she'd returned from the mission, she felt like she was actually  _at home_. Like the resistance she'd put up against allowing herself to relax and wind-down after mission had fallen away – and so had the guilt.

 

 

She was half-way through her warm up when Naruto and Yamato put in their respective appearances,

"Sakura-chan! Its lovely to see you again," The Mokuton user was as polite as ever, whilst he walked up to her, "You've been busy this week, I haven't had the chance to talk to you,"

"It's all go, Yamato-Taichou. How've you been, recently?"

"Pretty well, got back from my last mission the week before last – and were it not for Naruto, I think I would have gone stir crazy,"

"Haha, Yamato-Taichou was really losing his edge – he was pretty grateful for me making him train so much!"

"I see dickless' stupidity and inability to read someone's emotions has not changed," Sai's cool voice cut through Naruto's teasing of Yamato, though the younger certainly didn't appreciate becoming the butt of the jokes amid the other's laughter.

"Anyway, we should get on with warming up whilst we wait for Kakashi-sampai, if we're all here," Yamato redirected the conversation as fast as he could.

"The dark-haired moron is supposed to be attending as well…"

"…Sasuke?" Sakura queried, "That'll be interesting to train with him again after so long, I wonder how Kakashi'll organise this training session." Although her question was a rhetorical one, Sai still responded with a 'not sure'; "Well, I'm going to go for a quick run," She ginned and turned to jog away, leaving the three boys to their own devices.

It seemed very odd to have Sasuke join them – he would only really be of any help for taijutsu, and even then in a somewhat limited capacity – and it was very  _un-Kakashi-like_  to do something along these lines for the purposes of morale boosting. Even so, Sasuke was technically still a part of Team 7 (at least, in their eyes) and their team leader had always seen it best to include every team-member for no matter how small a gathering (though, more often than not, this mean Kakashi was dragged out and forced to join in with their frolicking, when he'd rather be left to his own devices).

"Sakura," The voice and the man it belonged to suddenly appeared in front of her, forcing the younger shinobi to skid to a halt; she allowed herself a moment to look over him as she resisted the urge to smile for setting eyes on him. Silver-hair's expression seemed more guarded than usual and his voice was oddly flat, "Please come back to the main training area, I want to explain what we'll be doing," Her eyebrows dipped in momentary confusion but she nodded and he disappeared as quickly as he had come.

_What was that about? He must be feeling the pressure about the coming conflict and maybe…he's over compensating..?_  She turned on her heel and jogged back to where she'd left the other nin, Sasuke had arrived and looked as though he was trying not get over-excited about an argument Naruto was having with him. She took her place among the group and Kakashi started,

"Most of us will be deploying out to various places within the next few weeks and I think it's high time we had a group training session, though, unfortunately, none of us will be deploying to the same place." As he spoke these words, his eye flicked over to Sakura, "Put your all into this training session, but still take care, we have a few injuries which need to be fully healed before any of us are sent out. I think we should warm up with a few quick-fire rounds, one-on-one, taijutsu only and the one to get three full strikes first wins. Sasuke Vs Naruto, Sakura Vs Sai and Yamato Vs myself." Everyone leapt away to a clear spot, with a good ten or so meters between each and they began.

It felt good again to move her body in the fluid, yet disciplined fashion that unarmed combat demanded; her punches melted from one to the other to a kick with seamlessness that it almost seemed ridiculous to think each movement was driven with the intent to wound and disable. Sai was fast as always and his power never bested his gracefulness; he got the first clear strike, but it also cost him one – closer to the end but still even.

Naruto's hooting and hollering made certain that everyone knew the status of their match, whilst Kakashi and Yamato were utterly silent, and kept themselves in tight to each other, using a radius of little more than a few meters. Sai seemed to redouble his efforts after a wild whoop from Naruto signalled his win and the first of the matches to be over, they began to fight more furiously as the adrenaline kicked into full effect and the need to win the fight swept up the internal storm.

Kakashi's smooth voice again called a halt to the proceedings, just as Sakura wrangled her second strike (a rather cheeky kick to Sai's stomach), the emotionally-challenged late-addition to Team 7 pursed his lips, but stepped back and straightened up, listening to the instruction given. Sakura too stepped out of her fighting stance and found herself immediately met by Kakashi's gaze – though it was still stern and unforthcoming. It couldn't have been any less clear what he was aiming for.

"Alright, Here's how we're going to play it: Yamato I want you to specialise your attacks with ninjutsu; Naruto, you in ninjutsu, Sasuke you focus on armed combat – using any weapons you like and Sai you may choose any of the above with which to attack. You may all use some taijutsu or weapons only if they are purely supplementary and not a strike on their own – the challenge is to use what you've got and it's less than you're used to.

"For now, Sakura you'll work with me for a bit, but we'll switch around so you'll all have the opportunity to work on anything specific with me if you think you need to. You can all decide how you want to work – one on one matches or a free-for-all, but remember what you've been assigned and  _stick to it!_ " The Copy Nin turned on his heel and walked away, Sakura taking only moments to catch up to his abrupt departure, Kakashi halted some distance away and turned to face her,

"How's your leg?" Was his first question,

"Better, it's not completely healed, but I can still fight on it," She opened her mouth again to ask the rather  _personal_  question on the tip of her tongue, but thought better of it – now was neither the time or the place. He still looked unerringly detached as his dark eye saw all but reflected nothing.

"Good. Let me know if it begins to become a problem and we'll stop immediately, otherwise we'll be going all out – I want you to focus on evasion and escape for the moment rather than any sort of retaliation," She felt the urge to reply with a sarcastic ' _you do realise I'm a medic, right?'_  but she wondered if that might just rile him up – she hadn't seen him crack a smile once today. The kuniochi nodded firmly before immediately leaping backwards to avoid the first strike from her former-sensei; the close-by treeline proved to attract her attention first and she bolted for it, thankful for the naturally dense foliage all around Konoha that didn't struggle to hide her naturally garish colouring.

Kakashi kept his single eye peeled, the bright sunshine making the shadows between the leaves darker and air more lethargic, he jumped from tree branch to tree branch, his feet padding silently, but quickly over the supple wood. A spark of pink-tinted movement below him caught his attention and the sudden appearance of Sakura right in front of him had his mind reeling backwards, straight to his memory of the dream he'd had, months ago of a similar thing happening with his father – when he'd been a child – and the Copy Nin, so shocked by the sudden mirror (along with everything else that had thoroughly jumbled him up over the past few days) allowed his chakra flow to falter and his foot to slip out of under him.

Unable to regain his balance in time, he tumbled backwards and plummeted out of the tree and straight down towards the ground, he managed to regain himself back upright to land on his feet, rather than his face, but he was still greeted by the sight of an incredulous (though thoroughly amused) looking Sakura.

"Kakashi? Are you all right?"

"Hai,"

She looked dubious, "But you  _fell_ … out of a  _tree!_  When was the last time you fell out of a tree?" She asked, the inclination of her question was as absurd, as though someone had just tried to tell her the earth was actually a cube. Well, it was certainly nice to know the faith she still had in him… sort of.

"When I was seven, it was just– "

"And when was the last time you looked up the word 'rhetorical'?" She rolled her eyes but stepped closer to the now standing Copy Nin – he wasn't impressed,

"It was just a bit of… déjà vu, that's all,"

"Déjà vu? What the hell? Are you sure everything's all right? You've seemed really  _off_  today," He waved his hand gently, in an easily-dismissive manner, his eye darting around, checking in case anyone else had seen his rather embarrassingly  _un-_ ninja-like descent from the overgrowth.

"I'm fine, just did a lot of reading last night and…"

Sakura shifted her weight onto one foot and raised an eyebrow, "Your porn doesn't usually make you this cranky, quite the opposite, in fact–"

"Sakura!" He almost snapped, in surprise, "It's just… more to do with my parents, the more I look for information, the deeper and more convoluted the path seems to get, and how much the answers seem to sneak ever further away."

"What more have you found out?"

"Th…This isn't the time or place to really be discussing this, we can talk more later – we really need to get training now, c'mon," He stepped back into the ready position, as Sakura kept her vaguely suspicious eyes upon him, he blinked once before hurling a kunai (which he pulled from nowhere) forward at the kuniochi. She, in a manner not unlike an ill-cooked spaghetti ribbon, dodged it before leaping away from her partner, remaining perfectly aware of the shuriken he threw and how far he was.

 

* * *

 

They had arrived far quicker than he'd been anticipating, but for the viral outbreak to reach epidemic proportions, it had been swifter than a cold to impact every citizen. It was actually a touch frightening – he hadn't thought that they would want to go so far to make a statement and to draw attention away from the real target; this strike had been planned for so long – and he himself had been caught between the two opposing sides in such a deep web that he couldn't even remember who had approaching him first about helping to be a set of eyes and ears.

It had only been some time after that when the other side had employed him as a double agent. It had all seemed so complex back then, years and years ago when it had all been so fresh – and he'd even wondered if he should have snuck around more than he did, but the elders knew he'd need to be around to offer the information on Kumo as and when it was requested by the meetings. And intuition told him that they too knew, he was gathering data to offer back to Kumo.

His only saving grace was that he'd demanded to be given an alias for any and all dealings with the Kumo – when he was gathering secretes  _from_  them, he was known by his own name, but when he was stealing from Uzu, he'd been called, 'Oziwa'. As he walked through the long hall where most of the sick were laid up, coughing as he went, his mind returned back to the first day any Kumogakure nin had set foot on Uzushiogakure – in well over seventy years.

Oziwa himself had been playing away from the other orphans (a few days prior an enormous typhoon had swept across the lower, western part of the island and claimed a number of lives – most of whom were fishermen out at sea and their lingering families who lived along the shore). Oziwa – thoroughly bored and irritated at having been cooped up for so long, and wanting to go and look for his mother – escaped out and ran down to the lingering rubble ruins as fast as his six-year-old legs could take him.

After more than two hours of fruitless searching, he'd flopped down onto a seat on the mangled rubble, and planted his chin firmly on his up turned hands, the picture of childhood frustration. As his feet gently kicked the loose rubble, his looked up to the voice he could hear getting closer, afraid that it would be the orphan-master and he'd go the night without dinner for his disobedience. He scurried away and hid himself among the rocks, slowing his breathing and cooling his erratic mind on an instinct he didn't understand, the men stopped close by and began to talk about strange things and words he faintly recognised – words like 'jutsu' and 'price', there was a lot of anger and hurried whispers.

The three men stopped suddenly though and all look up in the same direction, just as Oziwa could make out his own name from a long, and distant shout, he froze in fear, he couldn't get up and let the men see him but if Higoto-san came and found him here… The orphanage master drew ever closer and it turn out that he'd brought his pet dog – Shou – with him;

"Please, excuse me gentlemen," Higoto had said to the strangers who dismissed him, as Shou trotted away from his master, sniffing out the boy hidden in the rubble,

"Well, there's no one around here…" His sentence faltered as the dog barked at Oziwa and the boy was forced to relinquish his hiding place, "How long have you been there?" He shouted, making Oziwa flinch,

"I…I was just walking down by the rubble, l-looking for okaa-san, when Shou ran up," He lied, pretty convincingly, but not enough, it seemed;

"You  _dare_  lie!"

"Easy, Hokuto-san, he's just a child," The second, older nin cut off the rambling of the first, "You have some very good hiding skills." He complemented, his eyes twinkling lightly, in the same fashion that someone managed to endear him to all children;

"Please, we must leave these shinobi to their business, Oziwa. You should know by now that your mother is not here, we've looked but she's gone, I'm sorry," The boy lowered his head in shame and grief,

"If I may, gone where? Was she a victim of this recent…typhoon?"

"Hai, she was – as was his father,"

"I believe that you have a system for training ninja here is Uzushio, do you not?"

"H-hai, but what you're thinking, shinobi-sama, is impossible. Only the most skilled are chosen and trained, he has probably never even seen a ninja before today,"

"I want to! I want to!" Oziwa exclaimed, he knew what a ninja was, darn it!

"Hush!" Higoto silenced him,

"From what I've seen, he's quite skilled – he can hide better than many Genin I've seen twice his age," The elder nin's voice lowered momentarily, "You'll need all the shinobi you can get – see to it that he's trained up,"

"H-Hai, shinobi-sama," Higoto buckled under the Kumo nin's authority, and bowed his head, furiously gesturing for Oziwa to do the same,

"Now then, we must take our leave, but be sure you eat well and train up, little ninja!" The man had spoken before they'd leapt away and disappeared in a moment; Oziwa hadn't realised it then, but he was the same Kumo shinobi who poached him to act an agent and give them information of the growing developments of Uzushio – and was the man he was on the way to meet now.

Through the late evening, Oziwa wound his way out of the hall and out onto the sturdy engawa, following it around the edge of the main building in the centre of the rebuilt Hidden Whirlpool, interestingly the same route Hatake Kakashi had taken when he'd been visiting here with his motley crew. Hatake had been a fascinating ninja to read up on and Oziwa had to admit, for being a specialist in reconnaissance and tactics, he was certainly jealous over that dastardly red eye he'd acquired. He could guess where he'd be deployed too, he was a major part of Konoha's fighting force in terms of individual skill and battlefield experience – he would likely go to Kumo, whilst the jinchuuriki would probably form his own link in the armour, but it wouldn't matter, they'd still get it wrong.

Oziwa grinned lightly as he thought of the coming battle – he'd never been allowed into Fire before, and was looking forward to the opportunity to explore a little, as well, Konoha nin weren't the brightest bunch around – but they should prove fun to play with.

"Oziwa, you're late,"

"My apologies, Rigan-sama," Another alias – necessary even between members of the same village, or even family; the moon was exceptionally bright, with no cloud cover, its entire surface peered down onto the two's sneaking treachery;

"How are the most recent victims holding up? It is most unfortunate that you have to report yet another outbreak in so many days, especially now after the recent outbreak in Kumo. I hope the casualties haven't been too great,"

"Oh no, they haven't been any worse than anticipated," Oziwa considered his earlier thought for a moment, "Do you think we're being too obvious by having the virus attack so early?"

"No, we'll time a second Kumo strike for when the Konoha support team arrives, they'll be far too busy with casualties and fresh attacks to consider the timing – or at least, by the time they're able to, Iwa and the rest of Kumo will have made the strike necessary and they'll be powerless." The elderly nin dismissed and the younger frowned,

"This all sounds a bit careless," The bushy eyebrows of the elder twitched in disapproval of the rude tone,

"I've lived many long years and fought in more wars than you've had birthdays, I know how to fight a winning fight, all you need to do is keep your mouth shut and do as you're told – the Konoha nin will need  _looking after_ , you know," Oziwa let out an irritated breath, he never relished it much when his role led him to being a handmaiden;

"And after?" Rigan eyed him carefully, it was always about the 'after' with this boy,

"If you've done your job well enough, you'll go with the main party into Hi no Kuni, and you'll report back the status to me," The younger grinned and bowed lightly,

"But don't you dare forget, Oziwa, you aren't really on anyone's side – neither of us are, we are Uzushio nin, but we offer our information to Kumogakure: we trust neither and neither trust us! You seem very prone to forgetting this," It took all he had not to sigh in irritation at the old man's eternal superiority-complex,

"Hai, hai, Rigan-sama,"

"Good…now get going before you're missed, I can't linger either."

 

* * *

 

"It's weird,"

"Seriously weird. Kakashi's  _chatting_ , to the frozen-fish guy!" Naruto exclaimed conspiratorially to Sasuke, whom he was sat next to on one of the rooftops overlooking the main street, which was bustling with activity – including that of one silver-haired, masked ninja; both boys having long forged an easy and significantly less aggressive friendship over the few months that Sasuke had returned to his childhood home.

"What's weird about it, baka, is that he looked so  _happy!_ " Sasuke folded his arms over his chest, "I mean, really happy, I don't ever recall seeing Kakashi look like that. What's with it?"

"Dunno, he and Sakura-chan are pretty close these days – maybe she'd know?" The mention of Sakura triggered the Uchiha's memory back to the kiss he'd witnessed between two of his teammates… could that be the reason behind Kakashi's apparent cheerfulness? "Well? What do you think? Should we go and see Sakura-chan?"

"Yea, I'm sure we'll find the answer there," Sasuke allowed a sly smile onto his face, "But let's see where Kakashi goes next," They continued to observe their oddly-behaving once-sensei as he grinned unnaturally cheerfully at the fish-monger, pointing and querying the assortment, he was already carrying a bag full of other goods.

"Grocery shopping?" Naruto supplied, "For dinner?"

"Hmm, he's normally a lot less animated about shopping – and why's he so happy and buying so much when he's going to be deployed in little over a week?"

"Just shut-up and watch, if we're too obvious he'll know we're following him!" Naruto hissed before leaning back to lie flat on the roof, subtly keeping his peripheral vision on the shock of silver hair. The prey soon moved on as he wondered around Konoha for a little longer, before eventually arriving on the balcony of Sakura's apartment and slipping in through the open window –  _so he_ had _been readying to visit Sakura!_  Sasuke and Naruto shared an awkward look, neither yet entirely sure what to make of the developments, they leapt a little closer to get a good view of the apartment – where Sakura greeting Kakashi with a small hug.

 

He walked past her to place his bags on the counter, before turning to embrace her proper – and Naruto choked on his next breath,

"What… the…  _heck?-!_ " He spluttered for a moment, "Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan are  _dating!-?_ "

"Shh! Shut up, you idiot, or they'll hear you!" Sasuke hissed, though he too was amazed at the validation of the implied,  _intimate_  greeting between the two; before either could give any more consideration to the situation, Kakashi's hand leapt from Sakura's back, up to his face. His mask dropped a fraction of an inch – enough to have both Sasuke's and Naruto's mouths drop open in utter amazement before they were met with the back of Kakashi's head as he met Sakura in a rather heated kiss.

"I brought dinner with me – I thought I might…cook," Kakashi began as he broke away from her and replaced his mask in the same smooth action;

"S-sure…I have some stuff in the cupboard, but I hadn't actually given any thought to it," He grinned,

"How about cod  _motoyaki_  [baked seafood]? And rice with  _umeboshi_?" She couldn't quite resist the grin,

"Sounds great, how can I help?" Kakashi pulled away and slipped his sandals off before returning to the kitchenette of Sakura's apartment, whilst he tugged his hands free of his gloves (after having slipped his flak jacket free from his shoulders) and washed them as Sakura began to dig through the shopping bags and retrieved all of the miscellaneous ingredients. Kakashi wasn't sure what Sakura would have in her cupboards, so he picked up all of the extras – like the ginger, miso, bean paste and other things like soy; Kakashi took a hold of the wrapped fish and began to cut it into wafer thin slivers,

"I know it's early, but this will take time to prepare, though not long to cook, so we might as well get the hard work out of the way with now."

"That's fine, fancy a drink?"

"I brought saké with me," He pre-empted;

"Ahh, I should have known you wouldn't do anything by halves," She grinned, fetching the bottle out, "But lucky for you I'd already set a small bottle to warm about ten minutes ago," They chatted rather idly – though jokingly – whilst they prepared dinner, Kakashi seemed to know what he was doing, so the kuniochi was satisfied to let him fuss and just help with the rather copious amounts peeling and chopping and rubbing and mixing – it certainly seemed rather elaborate, but far be it for her to dissuade the inexplicably on-form Copy Nin from what made him happy.

 

Outside, meanwhile, Sasuke had been forced to resort to pinning Naruto down onto the adjacent roof, lest he leapt onto his feet to go barrelling into their female teammates apartment to smack Kakashi across the chops.

"Naruto, calm  _down!_ " He hissed angrily,

"But Kakashi… undressed like  _that_ … He's… he's… just such a…  _pervert!_ " The blonde struggled to get the words out of his mouth, so angry he was at the thought;

"Dobe! We've seen Kakashi dressed like that tons of times – in fact, we've even seen him in less, in his own house, baka, and so has Sakura! Its really not that weird," The obvious euphemism in his words struck Sasuke, as he pursed his lips in silent embarrassment at how much more perverted it sounded than actually was, but Naruto's next sentence prevented him from correcting the wayward error,

"But he's in Sakura-chan's apartment! That perverts undressing like it's his own place!" Even the stony Uchiha had to admit that when Naruto spoke in that fashion, it  _did_  bother him slightly, it seemed really wrong somehow to see Kakashi so much closer to Sakura than they were – even if he really had no grounds for justification.

"S-Sakura could punch him through a wall if he tried anything," Sasuke leaned off the exuberant shinobi, now that he'd calmed a little and resumed his watch upon the two shinobi, still chopping and chatting with each other; "Just watch for now and see what happens,"

"I hadn't realised that the both of you were quite so jealous of Sakura moving on," The impassive voice of Sai so close behind them started both shinobi as they span around, still remaining low in their observation positions, though simultaneously choked on their attempts to suppress their screams of surprise.

 

As Kakashi settled himself on the sofa, Sakura took a seat next to him,

"You've seemed unusually cheerful this evening, Kakashi," She joked, "Not that I'm complaining, but–"

"You're wondering about earlier? I apologise if I was a bit abrupt – I guess it just struck me the strongest then about how obvious it could be our teammates if I acted like anything less that I was having a bad day and since we haven't really had the opportunity to talk about how we want to broach the topic with the others, or, even, when." Even before the elder shinobi had had a chance to finish his sentence, it drew a short, undecided sigh from the kuniochi,

"You're right and I'm still not even sure how we could talk about it Naruto; I'm guessing Sai or Sasuke won't have much of an issue with it," She couldn't help the wry smile that tugged at her lips as she imagined a nonchalant Sasuke and a dispassionate Sai. "But that's probably jumping the gun, right now, I think we should just see how  _we_  cope with this, before we try to include any one else in on it." Kakashi grinned as he took a lightning fast sip of saké – his instincts telling him not to completely relax or take off his mask, just yet.

The pink-haired nin opened her mouth to ask another question – about if there had been anything else bothering the Copy Nin earlier that day – but she thought against it; she trusted him to tell her if it was important enough (even though her curiosity was almost getting the better of her). She thought back, instead to the numerous facts and questions that she'd found out about Kakashi over the past few months, "Hey, you know you were talking about the fact there are all the names of shinobi who reached at least Genin rank, written on the walls of the bar?"

"Hmm? What about it?"

"Why do you think there written there?"

"Well, its just a record isn't it?"

"Is it? Seems to me to be a display of  _pride_  on behalf of Konoha – we already have records of our shinobi, the existence of the administration building is proof of that. Konoha is  _proud_  of all of the shinobi it produces, no matter what happens in their lives, they still make up a part of Konoha – and are still loved for it… that's kinda comforting," Sakura swished the last the sake in her saucer before continuing, "You said you saw Sasuke's name? Orochimaru's even?"

"…Hai…and Naruto's and I saw your name. It was quite…  _gratifying_  to see your names on a wall of fame," It felt like an oddly hollow compliment when he said it, but she snorted slightly with laughter,

"You're proud to see our names scrawled on the wall of a  _pub_? Hahahah!"

"Hey! Just now you claimed that was a good thing – so Konoha's allowed to be proud of you, but I'm not?"

"…Nah." Sakura laughed – which was quickly matched by the man himself – finding the thought almost as amusing as Kakashi's sulky tone of voice, she rose to her feet,

"Fancy another saké?"

"Please," Her eyes again met his solitary visible one, and still there was such an easy ambiance between them that it brought a happiness to Sakura she hadn't realised she was missing.

 

Startled at both his appearance and their realisation that they'd obviously been so absorbed they hadn't noticed him – there knee-jerk reactions had been the same: to distract from the stupidity of their mistake. Both Naruto and Sasuke immediately grabbed Sai's collar and yanked him down onto his belly, pulling him from view, whilst simultaneously whisper-yelling,

"Get down!" Sai looked faintly surprised at the response he got, but waited for someone else to speak again before he did

"You shouldn't be so obvious, Kakashi'll kill us if he finds us here!"

"Why are you spying on them? Isn't that-ah… disrespectful?"

"Not if you need to protect Sakura-chan," Naruto replied stubbornly,

"I don't believe Hag Face is in any danger, I believe that Hatake-san has had quite a… 'soft spot' – I think you call it – for her," Just as Sai finished speaking, two sets of eyes rounded upon him,

"Soft spot?" Sasuke scoffed first, unable to get his head around… well…  _any_  of this, "Yea right! Will you all just…shut up and concentrate," By this point Kakashi and Sakura had moved themselves onto the kuniochi's sofa and were still fairly close together – still each with a saucer of saké in hand and smiles on their faces,

"Sasuke-dobe you shouldn't have lost your sharingan, I wanna know what they're saying!" The former defector rolled his eyes and could only be bothered with an excessively exasperated sigh,

" _Moron,_ " His voice might have been harsh, but as he looked upon his two former teammates, he tried to remember the last time he'd seen either Kakashi or Sakura looking so happy and relaxed, "Come on, I think we should leave them to it from here."

"But…but," Naruto tried to protest, but he gave in, "Yea, I guess – but we can't. Tell.  _Anyone!"_  As Naruto looked over to them, Sasuke's expression was one of utter incredulity – with his left eyebrow flopped into a completely straight line, whilst the other rose to an almost unnatural height,

"That would be a good idea, but Dickless already knows,"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, Naruto, that you are the very  _worst_  person to keep a secret – you couldn't even  _staple_  your mouth closed, you'd still find a way to blab!"

"No I'm… won't!" His flustered response at the offence words out of Sasuke's mouth caught him off guard, "I can keep a secret! Besides, it's Sakura-chan and it means so much to her, I can keep quiet!" He raged, after his defensive confidence returned,

"Yea, right," The Uchiha retorted as he got up and darted away into the darkening evening, closely followed by the other two nin – finally allowed Sakura and Kakashi their privacy.

 

Fortunately – though it was rather poor fortune from the boys' perspective – that as soon as they'd turned away, the Copy Nin had pulled down his mask far enough to plant an initially chase kiss upon her lips that more than effectively transmitted the relief and enjoyment they shared at not only having time to spend alone together, but also that they'd finally found some sense of resolution to the awkwardness and insecurity they'd felt over the past few weeks and days. Neither had quite imaged how refreshing and pleasing it could be to have time –  _unpressured_  time – simply to be with each other.

..

.


	28. A City Aged With Shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My thanks to everyone who's commented and left kudos! There's nothing as inspiring as knowing people are enjoying your story ^_ ^

 

The battle was not going well; Kakashi had done his very best to keep his men together and remain focussed on the purpose of their battle, but Hot Springs was challenging terrain and its borders had been closed for anything other than careful, escorted crossing for a long time – most of the Konoha shinobi had to fight their feet as much as their opponents. They'd been pushed back numerous times and the Copy Nin had been forced to resort to the use of a rather frustrating cat and mouse game, just to allow breathing room – if nothing else.

He'd left Suna almost a month previously, with only a day's stopover in Konoha, he'd rushed straight back into the thick of it and had been running - with only short pauses for fighting – ever since. Kumo shinobi were skilled with both brute force and a sense of trickery that was not the easiest to judge – in a twisted sort of way, Kakashi had been forced to acknowledge that there had definitely been stranger bedfellows than Iwa and Cloud.

From where he was, hiding in the top of a large fir tree, his visible black eye surveyed everything whilst he did his best not to think about the fact he had a serious (and roughly stitched) laceration, as well as numerous burns and aches and sprains he was suffering; it was rare that he'd been caught in such a sustained fight with no opportunity for backup or reprieve. Kakashi had thought they were fighting two sections in total – about eight nin – which surprised him a little.

Kumo had apparently opted to spread their attack out over a very wide area, meaning that Konoha and Suna had been spread a little thinner on the ground than they'd anticipated. It wasn't obvious, entirely, what was going on, but his opponents had made no true effort to push through the defences and march on to attack Konoha – and from his extremely limited correspondence with some of the section, they'd been having similar experiences: the battles were fierce and draining, but they were strangely static.

It was bothering Kakashi, that they seemed to be eternally waiting for a final strike that never came; the first battle (that Kakashi had arrived late to) had been a messy one, the Kumo forces seemed to have no desire other than to fight. They'd been good at teasing out a wide range of jutsus from the inexperienced shinobi who'd waiting for Kakashi (along with a couple of Suna nin) to arrive and lead them, almost as soon as he'd reached the battlefield – entering with a volley of kibakufuda and a great lightning jutsu which radiated out from around him, with a forty-five degree arc that successfully avoided his own men and was sudden enough to disrupt and startle the enemy from their jutsus.

This had given his team time enough to regroup and allow Kakashi to take charge as Temari follow up his attack with a great  _Dai Kamaitachi_ [great cutting whirlwind]. After that, the attacks had seemed more focused, they engaged with precision and for relative short periods of time – just enough to force the allied forced to retreat by a couple of kilometres.

 

A prickle to his senses had his mind returning immediately to the present as his eye flicked around as far as it could without needing to move his head to increase his field of vision, there was nothing obvious he could detect in the gloom of the dense woodland – and the steep hills that surrounded one  _everywhere_  you went in this godforsaken place, offered only a sense of claustrophobia than anything resembling protection or cover. As silently as he'd climbed the tree, Kakashi dropped to the ground and gathered his teammates from sleep, the confused look on Temari's face before her memories caught up with her and her eyebrows dropped in silent acceptance –  _time to move on again?_

She rose to her feet and gathered herself as quickly as possible – she found it a challenge to adjust to the cold and damp (then, randomly sickly humid) environment of Yu no Kuni – it wasn't so bad she couldn't fight, but it proved an irritating distraction, one that had meant there was an eternal part of her mind that wasn't on the fight. Temari turned around, trying to focus on her surroundings, despite the wistful moonlight, the mesh of trees and bushes merged into a single deep shadow; the air was cooler, though, and the humidity had drastically lowered and the trees had changed to a more deciduous spread.

The Suna kuniochi began to mould and prepare her chakra, readying her next jutsu as she remained crouched, again Kakashi appeared by her side,

"Temari-san, make certain you don't use a jutsu they've never seen before – whatever you've used regularly is fine. We're very close to the Konoha border and we really can't afford to be forced back any further – we've got to be a wall from here on in."

"Hai, Hatake-Taichou, I'll be careful."

"I'm still not entirely sure where they are, but we've got to be prepared to move as soon as they attack – I want you to take a few of the  _nii_  squad and double back around, behind their attack, I'll be taking a half of the  _ichi_  squad and doing the same. I think we've seen enough to know what they won't make any sort of a run for it." The Copy Nin spoke low and swiftly, crouched close beside the kuniochi

 

* * *

 

Uzu had been nothing like what she'd imagined it to be – frankly, she'd been anticipating something of a doss mission. Her first tip-off (though she'd failed to recognise it) had been coming across Gerimaru, apparently on the way to Konoha to pass on a few messages, on Wazishi's orders, but as soon as he'd met up with the team he'd kept up with them. They'd arrived in Uzu quickly, though the reception they faced was a sombre and inarticulate one; the only key thing about it was that there was so few people in the main parade of Uzushio. Sakura, although growing in her concern for what it might mean, she pressed on along with her team before they were eventually met by one of the council elders she recognised from her visit to Uzu the first time, many months ago.

"G-Gerimaru-san, what are you doing back so quickly?" He stuttered whilst his eyes flicked, betraying his bewilderment, between the Konoha nin;

"I met our Leaf protectors on my way to Konoha – and I felt it more important to escort our visitors back to Uzushio," The elder relented and averted his eyes down – in an apparent display of acceptance… or despair,

"You'll want to see the Kenjin-san, then, Gerimaru-san–!"

"Enough, Jinko-san, I will deal with our guests," The crumbly old voice of Wazishi cut across them, "It is good to see you again, Sakura-san, especially now…" He paused for a moment – and in doing so, very successfully created the air of guarded anguish;

"What are you talking about, Wazishi-sama?" Sakura asked,

"We have been hit, Sakura-san, by a dreadful illness that has all by incapacitated or killed most of our citizens and shinobi," The kuniochi narrowed her eyes,

"I'm very sorry to hear that, what are their symptoms?"

"Nausea, vomiting – and a rather nasty rash on most of them. Those who've been ill the longest had already fallen into a coma. We fear the worst for them," That was all Sakura needed to hear,

"Show me to them," She commanded as Wazishi nodded and hurriedly turned away to lead her to them – and, much to Sakura's loathing, it took only seconds for her to confirm what she already knew: the damned virus had – somehow – already infiltrated Uzu no Kuni. She took a moment to compose herself before she span around to face Wazishi,

"Who were the last visitors to the island?"

"Ah…" He averted his eyes slightly, "Kumogakure shinobi,"

"What?-!" Both she and Gerimaru shouted at the same time – almost forcing Wazishi to put his hands up in defence,

"Well, they weren't exactly  _visitors,_ they attacked us, appeared from nowhere. They attacked the North side of the village and destroyed so many buildings, before we could retaliate and force them back they'd already infected us… though we didn't know that at the time," Wazishi spoke with a surprising genuinity, that it almost caught Sakura off guard. Her instinct told her that Wazishi was hiding something – or that something wasn't quite right – but she could neither think of a reasonable explanation, nor the time to give the problem adequate thought, but she kept in mind the fact her instincts had earmarked the word 'Kumo' – it seemed both out of place and an all too easy explanation.

"Can you do anything for them, Sakura-san?" She drew a sturdy breath, but nodded,

"Hai – I've already dealt with this virus in Kumogakure," She ran her chakra emanating hands over the patient lying on the bed, trying to decipher what stage of the illness the woman was suffering from; it took only a few minutes of the kuniochi's diverted attention before Wazishi called Gerimaru away – as soon as they were out of earshot, she turned to Sai,

"Quickly, create a small ink animal to follow and record the conversation between those two!"

Sai cocked his head slightly, "What?"

"Do it!" She hissed intensely, enough, apparently, for Sai to abruptly nod an drew out his scroll and chakra infused inks – with which he fashioned a small mouse of the deepest black ink; it scurried off, hiding instinctively, allowing all other eyes to be blind to it. The kuniochi returned to her work, tending to the worst of the ill, though not before giving orders to Sai and one other of her teammates (a Jounin) to go to where the island had apparently been 'attacked' by Kumo and try to find out what they could – primarily if Wazishi was telling the truth.

 

The other Chuunin, adept at medical techniques, helped Sakura tend to the ill; the day passed swiftly and by the time the worst of the affected had been stabilised, Sai had returned, bringing with him news – but good or bad, Sai's lingering inability to express himself meant he gave nothing away that might give Sakura a clue to the nature of what he might have found… but at the same time, no one else would be able to figure it out either, which played in their favour.

The kuniochi led her team towards the quarters they'd been assigned, "So, what did you find on the other side of Uzushio?"

"There was indeed vast destruction of an area of buildings and churned land, which looked as though it had been caused by jutsus and battling shinobi, though the level of destruction seemed almost excessively high for how small an area it covered… how many shinobi did you treat for combat-related injuries?"  _Come to think of it…_

"None, at least, none that were serious enough to have been the result of a fierce battle," That wasn't a good sign and the implication hung in the air over them all; "Fuuyo-san, please tell me what you saw in Uzu – did you see any shinobi behaving suspiciously?" She addressed the other Jounin in her team,

"There were only a couple of ninja around the area cleaning up, but that's fair enough considering how many are taken ill…The whole thing seems very random to me, if is as serious about attacking Uzu as it claimed, why didn't they go all out? Why would they hop over just for what was essentially a scuffle?"

"Unless their purpose was to infect Uzu… but then, why bother declaring war? What on earth's going on here?" Sakura queried, her hand to her chin, "Anyway, Sai, what did your ink-mouse overhear?" Sai rummaged in one of his pouches and pulled out a small scroll,

"The condensed version is that Wazishi-sama spoke as though the attack was a genuine one, he asked if Gerimaru had encountered any Kumo shinobi or nin not specifically from Konoha on his way through Fire; he'd replied that he didn't and asked a number of extensive questions about when exactly the attack had occurred, how many nin were involved and if they made any demands." Sai recited impassively, "To which Wazishi seemed to give only evasive answers, barely addressing the point of the question." Sakura cocked her head slightly at the sound of the ex-ROOT nin's last point,

"Let's see the scroll," Her eyes scanned over the information in seconds, "Hmm, this is a worry, but I think we need to be cautious for now, everyone stay vigilant, but for now we need to carry on as though we suspect nothing…" She received firm nods from her team as she spoke, "All right, then, everyone get some rest – we'll be in for a busy time over the next few weeks."

"Hai, Taichou," The three of her team quietly left her room to head to their own quarters, no doubt grateful for the opportunity to sleep after the long journey and taxing day, the kuniochi herself prepared for bed but it took time for her to sleep with all the thoughts whirling around in her mind – was Uzu the trap it was beginning to look like? What would happen to them if it was? To Konoha?

 

The next few days had been both long and busy – mostly with taking care of the sick, interspersed with a few lessons teaching some of the Uzu medics how to perform the  _daikodan no jutsu_  ; they'd kept close tabs on all of the Uzu citizen and specifically Wazishi, whenever they had dealings with him. Gerimaru had hovered around a little, though Wazishi seemed to do his best to keep them apart – always finding some set of orders or task for him to complete well away from the Konoha nin.

It bothered Sakura immensely that she never seemed to be able to find something that gave her more than a  _feeling_  that something was off – it was never something definitive or concrete that she could base a plan or likely behaviours around. Even the shinobi seemed to deal with the Konoha nin on very terse terms – they never stuck around for idle conversation, nor spoke more than necessary – even in lessons.

It was extremely tiresome and by the time the week was over, she had altogether stop trying to make friends – it wasn't going to happen. By that point, too, she was sure enough that there was definitely something off in Uzu and it was time to inform Tsunade of her thoughts. She'd asked Sai to join her outside – well away from the main buildings of Whirlpool – as she scrawled a hasty but informative note to her former shishou,

"You're sure I don't need to cast a scrambler-jutsu on this?" She asked as she rolled up the slip of paper,

"No, the name you wrote in that had formed its own scramble, it won't open for anyone other than her – and if anything forces it or even so much as touches it will spoil and completely liquidate." He explained patiently,

"Wow, cool jutsu,"

"Yes, I am quite… um…  _proud_  of this one," She handed the scroll back to Sai as he flicked a few hasty handseals over it before it began to warp and suddenly sprung into the shape of a bird, it flapped its wings gently at first, but then gained strength. Almost as soon as the bird had fluttered away, like it had been startled out a hedge, Gerimaru materialised from nowhere and sat down next to the two Konoha shinobi who'd been 'having lunch' a way away from the main hall of Uzushio.

"You still don't believe that attack actually happened, do you?" He was generally known to be straight-to-the-point and after having been denied saying anything to them for a week, he was pulling no punches; Sakura, however, hesitated to share much with him – he'd apparently been out of Uzushio during the time of the 'attack' – on his way back to Konoha, Sakura and her team had indeed returned with him at that time, but it didn't mean he was innocent. The red head seemed to understand her reluctance and continued, "I've been speaking with the Kenjin-san and he was worried about the outbreak but he really didn't have that much to say about it," His voice lowered midway through his sentence, "If there had really been a pre-emptive strike on Uzushio, Wazishi-sama would have thrown a fit and would have chewed my ear off – he's not satisfied until he's talked at least three people deaf whenever he's been affronted or we've suffered an attack."

Sakura's eyebrow flopped into a dead-straight line, easily telegraphing her confusion and mild disbelief at the Siina's words, "Why do you think Wazishi-sama would lie about it? Why would he allow his citizens to be infected?" She saw no need to make Gerimaru aware that her suspicions, in fact, mirrored his own.

"I-he never would, Wazishi-sama has spent his life caring for and defending Uzushio from its enemies and unfriendly eyes!"

"Then what other explanation is there?" She continued hesitantly, "If there was no attack, then why would he make up the lie?"

"I think its too early to make conjecture, Hag, we should wait for now until we get more information upon which to base a hypothesis."

"I think you're right, Sai," Although the kuniochi was directing her speech towards her teammate, she kept her gaze firmly on Gerimaru, unsure what his intentions were.

 

* * *

 

"What?-!"Tsunade roared as she read the tiny and well coded message that arrived on an eerie, inky sparrow, supplied by Sai; it had breezed in through the open window and fluttered about for a moment, as though it were an old friend who'd popped in for tea and was waiting for a space to be made – Sai had really made some fantastic additions to his jutsus over the years, making them ever more lifelike. As soon as the Hokage noticed the addition and outstretched her hand it twirled itself up and sprang into a scroll, landing in a surprisingly dainty fashion in her palm, it read:-

_'Tsunade-sama – I fear the worst here in Uzushio, the virus has already spread here but I am highly doubtful of the excuse that they've already suffered an attack by Kumo and hence exposure to the virus that I've been fed. I feel strongly that I'm being kept here – though I'm unclear to what end. Gerimaru seems as lost to the situation as I, and I trust his innocence is genuine – regretfully, however, I feel that Wazishi is not telling me the whole truth, there's more that he knows, but refuses to tell._

_I have taught a number of the medical practices to Uzu shinobi and I am confident that they can continue to stabilise and care for the remaining population in my absence. Unless the situation changes, I won't move without orders – Sakura._

Tsunade leant back in her chair and considered what the note meant – Sakura would not have risked outside contact without good cause, and it was certainly a worry to think that Uzu might have betrayed them to Kumo. Uzu was at the heart of Konoha's place in this conflict and to find that those they had been protecting were a trap in themselves. A sudden rap at the door had the elderly kuniochi snapping out of her thoughts,

"Shizune?"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama, Uchiha Sasuke is here – he wishes to speak with you."

"Oh?" The Hokage began, genuinely surprised; she hadn't so much as set eyes on the boy since he'd been released from prison to resume life as a civilian all those months ago, "What does he want?"

"He says that he has some significant information about an old Uchiha hideout that could prove to be of vital strategic importance." Tsunade – who's disbelief was literally painted all over her face responded, at first, with merely a small, but unconvinced,

"Huh," She leant back him her chair then, setting aside the bird-scroll from Sakura and waved her hand, "Send him in then – might as well hear what he has to say – but if he's wasting my time, he'll be scrubbing the toilets at the academy for three months!" Shizune nodded and returned to fetch the Uchiha – scrubbing toilets that academy age children use was among the most severe of punishments that Tsunade had dreamt up. The still rather sullen looking prodigy entered the office with two ANBU behind him as Shizune returned to hover beside the Hokage;

"Well? What is it about this 'secret base'?" She never waited for any form of polite greeting from the boy – she'd have to forget how her age-reversal jutsu worked before that'd ever happen. Nonetheless, Sasuke composed himself before speaking,

"A primary part of this conflict is with Kaminari no Kuni, correct?"

"Hmm,"

"And it would seem to me that if Kumo had any desire to attack either Konoha or Uzushio, then they will broadly traverse most of the North Eastern province of Fire,"

"Likely," Her responses were sparse, still unclear what, exactly, he was getting at,

"There is an old ruined city hidden in that North-Eastern area–"

"–That has been abandoned for decades, I'm aware of its existence – through rumour, mostly – but it's been half-reclaimed by the forest anyway," The kuniochi dismissed, but Sasuke shook his head,

"You're wrong – the rumours are wrong, within it is an old Uchiha hideout as well as some old Uchiha…  _affiliates_  that help to defend what lingers of the place,"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes as the former-deserter spoke, "What sort of 'affiliates' are you talking about?"

"A few humans - they used to provide weapons and supplies for the Uchiha clan – along with a large number of nin cats." Sasuke spoke in his typical passionless timber, but he couldn't quite stop the memories from rolling through his mind at how he used to visit that place with Itachi, before he'd even entered the academy.

"Hmm, that  _is_  interesting… an extra fortification for our shinobi. What are the exact coordinates?" Sasuke hesitated, remaining silent, "What?"

"Whilst they pose no threat to Konoha shinobi, they will not take kindly to uninvited and unknown guests – I will need to be there to convince them of their safety. But also, to help show them around the place and all of the passageways and forfeited defences that are dotted around – I'm sure only the cats know the full list of all the booby-traps."

"I see," Tsunade rubbed her forehead between her index and her thumb whilst she muttered a few choice curses to herself, "All right, here's what we're going to do – Sasuke, you and small team of ANBU will head out to coordinates I'll set and you will meet up with Sakura and her team before heading to the abandoned city."

"Sakura? Why?" Sasuke raised a faint eyebrow, "Isn't she supposed to be in Uzushio?" Tsunade let out a sharp breath of irritation at the occasionally excessively forthcoming shinobi she had working for her,

"The situation has changed, you will meet her at the time and coordinates I set – and I will  _ask_  you to keep discussions of the situation to an absolute minimum. Go and prepare to move and remain at the city for some time – you will be allowed to carry two pouches of weapons and other shinobi accessories, but I will not give you the antidote to the chakra suppressant. This is the first time you'll have been out of Konoha since you returned and you've yet to earn my trust fully back." Her eyes were both stern and unwavering as they locked with Sasuke's waiting for an answer,

"I understand."

"Then report back here six am, sharp," With that, she waved him away, along with the ANBU and began to compose a reply to Sakura;

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Shizune began after a moment, the Hokage didn't look up from her writing – or even pause,

"That's why I'm sending ANBU with him."

 

* * *

 

"That's it… keep your flow of chakra flow even…" The kuniochi guided to the younger medical shinobi who'd been perfecting the  _daikodan no jutsu_  as part of the healing regiment for the virus. Uzushio was a little thin on the ground for medics, but the few there were Sakura had managed to train up sufficiently, and the numbers of the ill were dwindling;  _kami-sama_ , wherever she went, Sakura seemed to be followed by this damned illness – was she a plague woman? It had been a day since Sai had sent his message-bird and Sakura was ready to leave at any moment; she was just finishing her final lesson.

"Sakura-Taichou?" One of the young Chuunin's who'd been assigned to the mission with her appeared at her side,

"Hmm?"

"Sai-san is looking for you,"  _Finally!_

"Right, thank you, Miyami-san, Yusa-kun, I'll have to finish the lesson early here, good work," She patted the shinobi on the shoulder as she walked away from the patient's bedside, and out of the large hall – that so many months ago had played host to mealtimes and meetings for Team 7 during their search to repair Naurto's seal. The kuniochi marched from the hall and down the corridor, confident that she'd find Sai a few hundred meters out, into the woodline. Sai was delightfully predictable sometimes,

"A reply from Tsunade-sama," He handed over the scroll, "We have to leave," Sakura raised an eyebrow as she unravelled the scroll and averted her attention to the words,

_Sakura – your scroll brought worrying news and I did not like fathoming the consequences. Fortunately, it seems that there is another option that might prove to be of a boon to us. You are to meet your local gardener at shinobi outpost #171. Wait for him. Tsunade._

To say the message was cryptic-at-best was still something of an understatement. Since when was there anyone close to a gardener that Sakura knew? And who would count as local? The only person who vaguely fitted that category was–

"Sasuke," She whispered, "Why would Tsunade-sama send Sasuke to meet us? And since when is he allowed out of Konoha?"

"I don't know, Hag, but I'm certain we'll find out when we arrive at the outpost."

"Hmm…" A sudden presence prickled at their senses and one smug looking Gerimaru appeared from the gloom,

"I'm leaving with you," He stated, without even the vaguest hint of a query in his voice,

"Oh?" The kuniochi was as typically unimpressed with him as usual,

"I will be leaving with you, or I will report to Wazishi-sama that Konoha intend to betray us and that we have no option other than to side with Kumo." Gerimaru continued confidently, Sakura narrowed her eyes in suspicion,

"…'No option but to side with Kumo'" She repeated carefully, "Gerimaru-san, I'm beginning to feel threatened…"

"I have to leave with you, Sakura-san, its imperative that I not stay here – I fear that my 'threat' is closer to the truth than I'd even like to admit."

Sakura was having none of it, "Well get admitting, Gerimaru, or I'll punch you clear across this island and return straight to Konoha with the news that Uzushio has betrayed us." The elder nin took half a step back, well aware that the kuniochi wasn't bluffing,

"Uh – ah… hold on, the more I've been thinking and listening to the council of the elders, the more I distrust them. I went back to visit the site where the attack took place, Sakura, I recognised a number of attack patterns that matched some of our  _own_  shinobi."

"I'm losing patience, Gerimaru, I'm not impressed by the twists you're adding to an already concerning tale. I am leaving Uzushio with my team  _immediately_ and–"

"And I'm going with you!" He demanded right back, "Think about it – if Uzushio really is a threat, then I can give you vital information to defend against them."

"How convenient – that you'd betray your life-long home for a few strangers… I find it more likely that you want to come with us to pass information on to Uzushio or Kumo so that  _you_  can betray  _us!_ " She began to dig into her pouch as Sai reached for his inks,

"I know it seems hard to believe, but my loyalties do not lie with a home that betrays its people," His face was serious, but the stakes were simply too high; the kuniochi shared a brief look with her stony-faced teammate before they lunged in unison. Sai's hand was as swift as any shinobi and an enormous ebony tiger lunged from his open scroll, surprising Gerimaru to the extent that he was forced backwards for a moment – this gave Sakura the time she needed to dart in and confuse the attack with her own kicks and punches. The Uzumaki, however, was not a crummy shinobi and he coped well with the volley of attacks – forcing the kuniochi off him as he slashed through and liquidated the tiger.

Sai, of course had used this time to draw a flock of crows which swooped in and mobbed the Uzu nin, blinding him to Sakura's attack, and by the time Gerimaru had hacked through the midnight black birds, he'd felt the small needle prick his skin and he understood too late where the attack had been going. On instinct, he reached for his chakra but paled at the fact he could feel none to summon, the crows dissipated and the attacks had ceased – Sakura returned the needle to her pouch as she offered a sly, but guarded smile,

"Sorry Gerimaru, but if you want to come with us, I'm afraid I can't take any chances," The Uzumaki gaped for words but could find none before she spoke again, this time addressing her teammate, "Sai, please go and gather our remaining teammates – I'll inform Wazishi-sama that we're leaving – be as quick as you can – we'll meet back here inside twenty minutes."

"Hai," Sai immediately disappeared as Sakura created a quick kage-bunshin – right before she dealt a nasty blow to Gerimaru, and knocked him out cold. In the confusion of the squabble, no one noticed the extra pair of eyes trained on the proceedings, which lingered for a while, carefully watching everything that happened and ensuring that no one was any the wiser to his presence.

Leaving Uzushio had not proved to be as easy as the last time – it had taken some convincing to have Wazishi leave them alone to leave quickly, he seemed overly concerned at their abandonment of the island, but that could well have been Sakura's paranoia over the Whirlpool nin. Eventually – and after some chakra draining kage bunshin tricks, she managed to rendezvous with her clone, carrying a still unconscious Gerimaru, just after they'd left the island (thankfully unescorted, though that too had taken some serious arguing). The remaining three teammates – one other Jounin and two Chuunin had been both alarmed and downright scared to see what their Taichou had done – scared, apparently for the fact they worried what else she might do, namely to them if they didn't comply with her orders.

The only response she could be bothered with was a roll of her eyes and mutter of 'over active imaginations'.

 

The shinobi outpost they were aiming for was well inland from the port their ship would have to dock at from Uzu – it would be another half-day's journey without a hostage, and they had a rather stubborn one who, for all his bleating about wanting to join them, was protesting loudly at having been treated at less than his heart's desire. At their Jounin teammate's suggestion, they landed the ship a good five kilometres down the coast from the city, and abandoned it quickly; Sakura had many hounds biting at her heels: the reason for her diversion from Konoha, the possibility of betrayal by Uzushio, their captured charge – and she pushed her team to run as though the hounds had already tasted blood and were savage for more. She did her best not to think about how much might that might be true.

It took a day to hard running to reach the outpost and her team were literally on their last legs, but she would not let them rest until they'd reached the rendezvous point; they'd halted half a kilometre outside of the post and the kuniochi had sent the Jounin and one of the Chuunin ahead to investigate and check the coast was clear. It was probably the fatigue that had it feel as though it took them an eternity to return; but still he brought with him good news and inside ten minutes, they'd hunkered down in the outpost and the pink-haired medic-nin set her entire team down to rest, including Gerimaru, herself deciding to remain on guard.

Both the darkness and the tiredness leeching at her consciousness made for a dangerous mix and she couldn't bring herself to even fight much past a sentence when Sai had waited only for the others to drop asleep before he ventured to take her place on first stag. The kuniochi was used to dreamless sleep borne of deep seated fatigue, but never in her career as a shinobi had she been awoken from such a sleep to be greeted by the face of her once-long-lost teammate, Uchiha Sasuke.

"Sa-uke?" Her voice crackled slightly from lack of use as she sat up on her elbows, looking around the small area,

"You must get up Sakura, we need to get moving," As Sasuke fully stepped away and allowed Sakura to rise to her feet, her grasp of the situation drastically improved; daylight was peeking in through the cracks of the dug-out, her entire team were already away and packed away, and Sasuke had been accompanied by three ANBU. That gave a vaguely more of an explanation as to his departure form Hidden Leaf,

"How come you were allowed to leave Konoha? And why are we meeting here of all places?" She began whilst she packed her gear away and hastily woofed down a small energy bar;

"I cannot say right here, but as soon as we reach our destination I will explain." The Uchiha patiently elaborated, "We have about another day's run before we'll reach it, but there we can rest up proper and deal more effectively with your…  _detainee_ ," He eyed the red headed Uzu nin still looking grouchy in the corner of the outpost,

"Ah, his chakra's been suppressed and his threat is yet to be decided, don't be too rough with him."

 

* * *

 

Kakashi darted suddenly to the left as he slashed with his kunai, deflecting the shuriken aimed at him as he continued on his path into the next tree; the attack by Kumo shinobi had come at almost the exact stroke of dawn (the bastards) and it had not stopped, save for occasional, small lulls – by now they were well into the afternoon. Apparently, this time they meant business and Kakashi – for all his hard-fought experiential wisdom – was still at a loss to interpret the Cloud nins' actions: why now of all times had they decided to go all out?

They were in no way closer to anything other than more trees than they had been at time of the last skirmish two days and three kilometres back. Had they decided that they'd learned enough about their enemy and that it was time to go for a final push to victory? Unlikely, Kakashi was often a target for the enemy, but he was only a small part of the battlefield… nothing truly made sense, but here and now was really not the time to analyse it – he'd think clearer once he'd disposed of these dastardly Kumo nin once and for all.

He'd spoken cleanly with his team after the last attack which had been identical to the others  _to the letter_  – so much so that Kakashi could have set his watch by them (…were the Copy Nin in any way a temporally inclined shinobi), and this had reinforced his assumption that they were merely gathering information on the Konoha nin. Hence, when a second and far more determined attack came, it seemed as good an opportunity for tactic  _Fire_  as any he could see – if the Kumo shinobi had really been gathering data on the abilities of the allied forced and waiting until they had manoeuvres to defeat what they thought they knew, then it was high time to utterly crush them with all of the jutsus and tactics that they were – through careful design – ignorant about.

Kakashi began to gather his chakra, readying for his signature jutsu when Temari again appeared into his view – the battle had been spread out and only now had Kakashi begun to seek out the other teams having taken out two of the men set on him. He cooled his jutsu and watched as the Sand kuniochi put up a good fight, but her style was not conducive to woodland fighting and she was struggling to overpower the other.

Her oversized fan was the primary – though not the only problem – so as the Copy Ninja observed he reached for his chakra-blades and began to charged them. Elsewhere, he could hear the other fights gaining momentum, he waited for an especially loud  _boom_ of a jutsu as he lobbed one of his sickle shaped kunai out, well behind Temari before he leapt out to attack proper.

Shurikens with kibakufuda attached forced the nin back from his next attack and allowed the kuniochi too to regain her composure before she prepared a jutsu that would be more effective in close quarters; Kakashi meanwhile was a maelstrom of kicks, punches and strikes that would make even a taijutsu Jounin proud and the Kumo nin was unprepared for a chakra-less attack. The enemy nin thought himself sly to take advantage of the tiny exit Kakashi's short range attack had afforded, but such was the enemy's arrogance that he had not taken into account there was more than he knew.

The second the nin crossed a line only Kakashi was aware of, he reached into his pouch and drew out the twin chakra blade, powering it as it flew up right; the effect was instantaneous, the power of the chakra was such that very little was capable of providing any real resistance – and this included the shinobi who was directly between the two. Even Kakashi had not truly been prepared for the sheer devastation caused by the raw and simply channelled power of his chakra – it utterly shredded the enemy nin and if there had been any more power involved, he would have disintegrated. The Copy Nin ceased his flow of chakra and found himself hesitating slightly before leaping over to retrieve his second blade,

"K-Kakashi-Taichou…" Temari's rather tentative voice cut through the horrified silence, "What was that?"

"A new jutsu I've been working on," He yanked the blade from the tree as he tentatively stepped around the bloody and gruesome scene, doing his best not to feel overwhelmed at the sticky, coppery stench of the blood to his sensitive nose.

Before either nin could reflect on the situation, three other teammates appeared from nowhere,

"Kakashi-Taichou! We have to move on, there are more nin approaching this location!" The Suna nin who spoke couldn't seem to take his eyes off the bloody mess beside Kakashi,

"How many?"

"Not sure – ten at least."

"Kuso, where are they hiding, these rats?" Kakashi swore lightly, "All right, how are the others holding up? Are they still fit to fight?"

"Just about,"

"Okay, whoever's left are to join you and head South East – at about five o'clock from my position," Kakashi gestured for good measure, "Temari you go with them, and I'll take Yaku-san and double back around," He knelt and flew through the hand seals to summon Pakkun and the entire ninken pack, the former of whom appeared in a small puff of smoke and a glum expression,

"Yo, Kakashi!" He sniffed, irritated, "Who'd you butcher?"

"Not now, Pakkun, I need you come with me – Ushi, Temari, get going!" All three of the shinobi and eight ninken darted away in blurs of movement, "Keep a close nose on my teammates, Pakkun, let me know if they get more than a kilometre away,"

"Hai, hai… you want me to tell you if the Kumo shinobi get too close, too? Yuck, they smell like eel," Kakashi would have rolled his eyes at the pug's words if he'd had the time, but instead responded with a short affirmative and began to gather his chakra in preparation for some quick fire use whilst he wracked his brain for an explanation as to why Kumo would be acting in such a fashion. They had barely run for twenty minutes before Ūhei suddenly yipped and skipped a little,

"Sakura-chan! I smell Sakura-chan!" That snapped Kakashi from his thoughts,

"Wh-what? Ūhei, are you sure?"

"Hai, hai, Kakashi-ue, definitely Sakura-chan, she's further south – no trees."

Kakashi frowned as she slowed to a halt, trying to understand the greyhound's words, "No trees?"

"He's right, Kakashi – it's definitely Sakura… I can smell Sasuke there too." Pakkun continued, lifting his nose to the air more frequently,

" _What?_  Sasuke? Tell me you're kidding…are they alone?"

"No… there are a large number of other people there... and… and…  _cats!_ " Pakkun hissed belligerently – and as soon as he did so, all of the other ninken immediately began to growl low in their throats and raise their heckles in preparation for the chase;

"Calm down," Kakashi ordered quietly, still well aware that they were being pursued and in the middle of a long-winded battle, right now of all times was the worst possible moment for the ninken to get on the trail of a damned  _cat_. "We'll have to investigate this further later, but right now we need to deal with the pursuing Kumo shinobi."

"R-right," Cats were among Pakkun's most hated creatures and getting his mind  _off_  of them once he'd sniffed one out was by no means an easy feat, "The teammates are… not far, less than a kilometre due south and the Kumogakure shinobi are between us and them, about four hundred meters,"  _Is that all?_  Kakashi had thought with some surprise, either the Kumo nin were greater fools than they appeared or his guess had been right on the money.

"We'll need to keep this pacing for a short while longer, until the Kumo nin catch up to our team, then we'll strike – and we're not taking hostages."

It didn't take long for the moment of truth the arrive as they caught up to the enemy nin just as they'd engaged their teammates,

 

* * *

 

Sakura might have been frowning as deeply as she could muster, thoroughly irritated by the crotechety old booby trap; it had been left for so many years without ever having been set off that it – apparently had made itself at home and was having none of Sakura.  _But_  the kuniochi thought determinedly,  _I will not let this damn thing best me!_  And in Sakura's book, as soon as something had annoyed her enough to elicit a curse (no matter how faintly it might have been muttered) then it had won… whatever the it might be – she liked to think of it as a means of self-discipline.

Well, that, and the fact that for a long time, her career as a medic (who needed to be clean spoken and  _swearing-free_ ) was directly in conflict with her career as a shinobi (who tended to use swear words like they were everyday adjectives or verbs – notoriously so). The kuniochi was trying to release the stringed trigger on this particular trap, so that she could reset the trap as a whole and re-aim it to a more convenient location – where it currently sat on the outside of the main building – but, almost amusingly, it was still clung to the last remaining support strut of the demolished building next to the main one, which housed most of the nin cats and the 'granny-cat' as Sasuke addressed her.

She'd been outside for the better part of the day, in a strong wind struggling to reset all of the traps within radius of the main building – Sasuke, Sai and a coupled of the other Leaf nin from her team had each taken a section of the city to restructure and secure with traps incase it truly became necessary for it to be used as a stronghold. Granny-Cat had been less than impressed at what Sasuke had told her, about the possibility of the conflict with Kumo to spill over into Fire and the city would be of enormous tactical advantage to help prevent the forces from reaching too far into the heart of Fire.

Granny-Cat's initial response had helpfully been 'Leaf nin- _ja_  should be better at fighting then,' it had taken nearly another hour of arguing with her (and ample gifts on Sasuke's behalf of  _matatabi_ [catnip]) before the ninja cats would at least side with him and help convince the elder that it was important to allow the shinobi to adapt and reinforce the city in case such a threat ever became a reality.

"Sakura-san?" The voice of the young-ish woman called out, she was not much younger than the kuniochi and apparently had lived here in the abandoned city for her entire life – having been brought here as a newborn and left to be cared for by the Granny-Cat.

"Hai, Seirra?"

"I've made something to eat – you must be hungry by now and it's probably time for a break,"

The kuniochi relented after a moment, "Hai, you're probably right – I'll be along in a moment," She waited until Seirra had turned back around the corner before she turned back to the booby trap and pointed her finger at it sharply, "Don't you dare think you've won, I'll be back to finish you off before you know it!" She whispered harshly. The city was quite ugly, really, it was half wrecked and covered in vines – there was nothing even vaguely homely about it, instead it felt cold, unforgiving and as though it enjoyed playing silent witness to cruelty a little more than an inanimate object should. She deftly avoided the puddles and miniature outcrops of rubble as she made her way back towards the main building of _Soraku_ [sky area].

Just as she rounded the final corner, however, the sensation of being watched overcame her so strongly that it took all of her self-control to not whirl around and yell obscenities, instead, she looked up to a nearby window and caught in the reflection a small brown blob. Mildly confused by such an unusual colour to be present, she turned suddenly and caught the glint of a  _haitai-ate_  and the familiar blue waistcoat of –

" _Pakkun?"_  She queried confused as the dog looked around suspiciously before taking a couple of tentative steps forward, "It's all right, there's no threat here," She comforted and he instantly relaxed and padded over more swiftly,

"Sakura, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in Uzushio?"

"I was but under orders from Tsunade-sama, I transferred here… but why are  _you_  here, I thought Kakashi was fighting way up on the Shimo/Yu border?"

"He was – but they've been pushed back and back, he's not far from here and sent me in to see what the situation was."

"Oh!" She exclaimed at his explanation, "That's…"

"His team have killed the Kumo nin who were pursuing them – there are only a few other Leaf and Sand nin with him."

"Ok, tell him it's safe to enter and bring them to this building," She gestured to the large main building beside her, "I'll go and inform the Granny-Cat that more visitors will be arriving."

"Hai, thanks Sakura-chan," With that the little pug darted away and Sakura turned on her heel to enter the Sky building, marching down its wide halls and enter the main chamber which housed the feline affiliated (and rather feline  _looking_ ) elder;

"Granny-Cat," The kuniochi began respectfully, "I have just received news that there are a number more of Leaf and Sand shinobi close by who have struggled in the conflict and are very close by. They require rest, medical attention and medical care–" She bluffed,

"I take it that you have presumptuously already invited them in…" The elder grouched, whilst chewing on her pipe,"I don't like how you Konoha nin come here to ask my permission as an act of faux respect – you offend me worse than if you hadn't bothered to ask at all," Her words and feeling were well mirrored by a harshly hissing cat, its fur standing on end.

"I meant no disrespect, Granny-Cat,"

"But you nonetheless give it – you'll do what you will no matter what I say, but it's up to the cats themselves whether they'll choose to cooperate with you. Don't you dare come crying if you get bitten," She spat, hissing out her breath of smoke directly towards Sakura; the kuniochi did her best to keep her patience whilst she turned her back and disappeared from the room. She rolled her eyes and did her best to brush off the bad attitude of the elder – she was justified in that this was her home and no one enjoyed losing control of their own, but at the same time, Fire was deep in conflict with a former allied nation and Granny-Cat might well come to  _have_  no home.

As Sakura reached the exit of the building, it was just in time for her to see the appearance of Kakashi and his team, along with Pakkun at his feet – to be honest, they looked like crap: tired, dirty, bloody and generally like they'd been in battle for far too long. Still she was mighty pleased to set eyes on Kakashi again – and she had to admit, only he could pull off still someone how looking cool and in control despite the blood and sweat he was covered in.

She pushed her feelings aside for the moment, however and stepped out from the building to greet them, only, someone else got there first. A great hissing blur appeared from nowhere and zoomed itself straight onto Pakkun – where the noise and terror and diabolical scrabble began between them – Sakura had heard dying patients make more pleasant sounds. There was just a blurred ball of fur, blue and screeching until Kakashi stepped in and braved the mess – he frowned and shoved his hand into the middle of the jumble and yanked out a rather infuriated and bedraggled cat that had its claws out to full length and was still hissing and struggling, paying Kakashi no mind whatsoever – apart from to briefly try and twist its head around to bite him on the hand.

"Oi! Kakashi, let 'im go! I wanna show him whose boss!" Pakkun huffed, his head covered in thin scratches and scuffs,

"No," the Copy Nin commanded, shaking the cat very lightly as he held it by the scruff to distract it from trying to bite his hand, "Thanks for all your help Pakkun, dismissed." The little dog opened its mouth as though to speak but thought better of it, he merely nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke – just as Kakashi let go of the cat and it dropped to the ground, hissed once at Kakashi before darted away from them. "What in the world?" Kakashi queried, flicking his eye over to Sakura,

"This place is run by the Granny-Cat and most of them are shinobi-cats – like your ninken – though most are as crotechy as she is," The kuniochi briefly explain with a small, though exasperated smile;

"Ah…Then I assume we need to meet with his 'Granny-Cat'?"

"Actually, no – she's a bit, uh,  _put-out_  by our being here and your arrival has only made things worse, it might be better to stay out of her way for now… but right now, I think I'm the only one who knows that you're here, so–" Her sentence was cut off by the sudden appearance of six shinobi leaping to their sides – four of whom were ANBU, Kakashi recognised by their masks and the other two were Sasuke and Sai.

"Kakashi," Sasuke began, eyeing him carefully, "What are you doing here?"

"I might ask you the same thing – last I heard you were confined to Konoha."

"Why don't we go somewhere we can talk?" Sakura suggested – in what was really a pretend rhetorical question; she turned again and lead them over to the building in which all of the Leaf nin had their accommodation. There was a good, large room that would house them enough to explain what was a significantly…confusing situation.

 

 

Sakura ran her hands through her hair as she walked back towards her quarters, the day had been such a long one – in a long string of lengthy days – that she felt almost ready to stop where she was and drop asleep. Eventually, though, she reached her room and pushed open the heavy wooden door, breathing a sigh of relief at finally being on her own time…only, she became thoroughly aware that it wasn't' quite  _her_  time when a familiar voice asked,

"Something wrong?" Her eyes snapped open to find Kakashi lying on her bed, reading a copy of  _Icha Icha Taktikkusu_ , looking delightfully relaxed having shed his sandals, flak jacket and haitai-ate;

"W-What-the?"

"It's been a while since I saw you last…thought we should take advantage of some time alone," He explained, whilst sitting up on the unrolled futon, putting away his book as she walked towards him and allowed herself to be tugged into his lap; she pulled down his mask and pressed their lips together in a long desired kiss. She easily met his kiss and her hands roamed over her shoulders and down his back, closing the distance between them, Kakashi's large hands had a secure grip on her waist as his fingers massaged the flesh of her back in a way that was – somehow – both a deep comfort and sensual tingling.

"I missed you," He whispered, as they parted momentarily, "I thought you'd be safe in Uzu, it worried me to hear how much risk you were put in by our supposed allies." He squeezed her a little tighter as he spoke,

"It's all right, I was in control,"

"So it seemed," He quipped, referring to her capture of Gerimaru, "But even so, things could have – and still might – get a lot worse. As soon as they realise he's missing, they'll come in search of you and with the encroachment of Kumo, I'm concerned that… that you're out here in the middle of nowhere and away from the protection of Konoha," His voice was mildly tentative, but with an undertone of seriousness Sakura couldn't push aside; she sighed lightly and pulled back from him enough to look him in the face,

"Don't baby me, Kakashi. Yes we're in a tentative position, but I am not alone here, I have Sai and my team as well as a team of ANBU and right now, you too. I wonder if I should be more worried about you, if you've already been pushed back this far," She retorted, unable to keep her eyebrows from dipping into an immediate, though passing frown; "We're in conflict, its not like we're going to–"

"But I have still eluded all of the Kumo ninja – and have not taken any prisoner," Kakashi snapped back, Sakura chose to move off his lap and onto a seat beside him as she replied,

"Oh? You've still killed many of their nin by now and your name is a natural magnet for most shinobi, especially in wartime – you are just as much at risk as I am." She argued, though she could see that his expression had not changed, nor had he moved to look at her, she took in how tense his shoulders sat; she allowed the silence to linger for a few moments, realising he wouldn't speak without prompting, "Unless you think yourself that much better than me?" Kakashi rose to his feet and walked away a few steps,

"No! It's just…I…" For a man normally so smooth at talking, his silence was both telling and infuriating,

"That's reassuring," It was impossible to keep the frown off her face as her hands found their way to their hips whilst she rose to her feet, Kakashi's expression was thunderous as he turned around to face her,

"Don't you dare! Sakura, you know I have complete faith in you, but–" Kakashi dragged a hand through his hair, as his words faltered, unsure of how to articulate himself without offending her further, "But, you've been my student and under my care for a long time… it's hard to…" He faltered again and she cut in,

"What? Remember that I'm not a kid anymore? If we're supposed to be…  _dating,_ " She lowered her voice for the last word, aware of the volume – and the rather sensitive nature of what they were discussing, despite the intensity of their argument, "Then-then… what the hell?" She whisper-shouted, her anger forcing her to latch on to anything it could to further lash out at him.

"Sakura!" His voice was a knife through the air between them, "It's not like that! You're no child, but you  _do_  lack the same experience I have and that gives me an advantage whether you like it or not!" His anger was almost irrational from disgust at the rather twisted implication Sakura had made, and it gave him only the drive to leave the room and be away from another situation that had so quickly descended into another hell after almost a month of stress and unrelenting violence. Kakashi wasn't used to being attacked on such a personal level – especially not right after an adrenaline-fuelled stretch of combat, but whether he was overacting or not, he couldn't say and was in no mood to decide, he needed e _scape._

"When you plan on listening like an adult, I  _might_  be willing to talk!" He bent to grab his flak jacket and sandals and started for the door, his pride kept him going, but it wasn't so strong that guilt hadn't already snuck in and begun to gnaw at the back of his mind as he yanked the door closed behind him. The controlled action sounding deafening in the empty corridor.

 

..

 

.

 

* * *

_Phew what a long chapter! So much going on...oh dear o dear :o bad times! Also: Ch-28 will be very closely intertwined with this one - so if you think there a bits obviously missing, chances are they'll be addressed in the next chap! :3_


	29. Eats Away At This Heart Of Mine

 

Sakura hadn't moved from her spot on the roof for some hours, she'd frankly been quite grateful for the time to be alone with her thoughts without having to argue with someone, or issue orders or even just be in the limelight. She'd been watching through her binoculars for any movement towards the Kumo border, or any sign that the numerous skirmishes were escalating. She wasn't sure what time it was, but before she was really ready to deal with anybody, a strangely familiar presence made itself known and sat down beside her;

"Here you are…" Sasuke began, his voice its signature dispassionate timber,

"Worried?" The kuniochi quipped whilst still not looking away from her binoculars,

"Just curious about something," His vague beginning was not only unbecoming of the current – and naturally terse Uchiha – but also quite irritating, "I saw Kakashi last night, quite late and he seemed very on edge even after I'd spent much of the afternoon with him discussing battle tactics when he'd seemed little more than tired from prolonged battle."

Her hands gripped tighter on the binoculars, "And you're telling me this why?"

"Did you guys have an argument last night?" He asked and Sakura finally pulled her eyes away from the binoculars and flashed her eyes over to the slouched sitting former-nin next to her, her incredulousness written clearly over her face, his dark eyes flashed with slight amusement at how easy it had been to draw it out of her,

"What makes you think that?" Her attempt at re-calming herself was futile for Sasuke's next statement had her mouth drop open in utter disbelief,

"Well, you guys are dating, aren't you? Who else would Kakashi have argued with that might make him so grumpy?"

"You… how in the hell did you know that?" The kuniochi sat up slightly, into a more comfortable position for talking to the boy next to her, who shrugged nonchalantly as though it couldn't have been more obvious,

"Kakashi seemed happier than usual… so we followed him for a day and he went to yours, so…"

"You  _spied_ on us? Are you a pervert?"

"No! It was Naruto's idea…" Better to blame the idiot,

"So Naruto also knows? Great…" She slapped a hand over her eyes in frustration as Sasuke tried to rescue the situation (his recent months back in the company of his old friends and current boss had really done him the world of good)

"Ah, Sakura, don't worry too much, we've kept it to ourselves and… well… why?" He seemed to stumble over the right phrasing. The medic slowly lifted her eyes to meet his, almost not believing her ears,

"You're expecting me to explain myself? Do you think I want your approval?" This was dangerous territory – her voice might have been carefully laced with unthreatening overtones, but the Uchiha wasn't quite prepared for Sakura to be so reticent with her words,

"No... it just seemed a bit…  _random_ , that's all – isn't it weird dating your teacher?"

She ran a hand through her hair as she sighed her frustration out – herself and Kakashi was a hot potato to say the least and it was something she'd been desperately trying to avoid all morning, but apparently, it was something she was  _going_  to face, whether she liked it or not, "Who'd have taken you for a gossip, Sasuke?" She couldn't resist the slight dig at him for his nosiness, "But he's not my teacher and he hasn't been for ages, years…"  _But maybe it's the sense that that was once the case that's got Kakashi in a knot?_  "Kakashi is a man I respect a lot and like spending time with – he feels the same, so what's wrong with me dating him?" Sasuke merely shrugged at that, "I know it'll probably seem really weird to you guys, but there's really nothing wrong with it – we're both consenting adults," She handed him the binoculars, "I really should go check up on Gerimaru, anyway – so take over her for a while, would you?"

"Sure…" He still seemed a little thrown, so she offered an olive branch,

"Thanks, though," She disappeared from the roof before he could say anything more and headed down towards the make-shift 'cell' that had been used to keep Gerimaru contained, she hadn't had much of a chance to talk to him since she'd captured him a few days previously and it was high time she got to the bottom of whatever it was that had him pretend to be on her side. As the kuniochi walked, her mind also turned to Kakashi, if Sasuke's instinctive thought was that their dynamic was still very student-to-teacher, then was that also at the forefront of Kakashi's mind? Was that why he'd been so awkward last night? He'd had a few nasty days – even without his injuries she could see it on him – perhaps the maelstrom of fears that might be playing on him had bled their way to the surface? Kakashi was not invincible and his own fears could pull on his strings and play him the puppet as much as the next man.

She was more than aware of how strongly (and doubtlessly  _excessively_ ) she'd reacted to his words, it wasn't easy – and her own fears played games with her too, she hated to admit it, even to herself, but it was bitter thought to imagine that Kakashi think himself so superior and ultimately pity her, or see her as something weak and needing to be humoured. She as she neared the door, she took a deep breath and tried to reorganise her thoughts – the problem with Kakashi could wait for a little while, right now she had to deal with Gerimaru; as she pushed open the door, however, a familiar shock of silver hair caught her attention and both men on her thoughts turned to look at her as she entered the room. The kuniochi very nearly grimaced at the bad fortune whilst she connected eyes with Kakashi, his face- _eye_  was passive as ever, though she fancied she could see an undertone on something negative within it.

It was on thing to tackle the aftermath of an argument, though quite another to do so when the other party was still wading through their residual anger…who was laughing at her for thinking her personal problems could wait a while?  _Crap…_

 

* * *

 

 

Stag duty was the worst thing about warfare, Genma had decided; it was one thing to be full of the adrenaline and intensity of battle during the day, but to suddenly switch all of that off and slam on the anchor… yet remain awake and alert was a hell completely aside from battle. He drew a great breath in, feeling the air fill to the very base of his lungs before he sighed it out, with nothing else to occupy his boredom; the tokabetsu Jounin forced himself to remain seated upright, knowing full well that if he dared to lie back, he'd drop asleep in seconds.

He was so tired none of the normal quick-result methods would work – no amount of fresh air, water or rubbing at his eyes would leech the tiredness from him, eventually he decided to brave the bitterness of a Taiki/Iwa spring night and wander for a little while – it might, at the very least, make him so uncomfortable that he'd have no choice but to stay awake. Crawling out of their camp, he stretched up tall – taking the risk of exposing himself so much to enemy eyes, it was either that or be no set of eyes of his own to watch for his comrades' safety.

The night was clear and cold – the fat moon that smiled down with all the light it reflected, the coniferous, stubborn trees and created unnatural shadows in the depths created behind the glare of the orb; he couldn't sense that anything was off and so he focussed on how much his various extremities were freezing off, just so that his brain hadn't fixated on how gnawingly fatigued he was. The perimeter of their base was small and a relatively easily defended area – the woodland surrounding them was extremely dense and the layer of underbrush made silent movement impossible aside from the area they'd cleared. Even so, a ninja was never too careful and as soon as the presence prickled at the back of his neck, Shiranui whipped out a kunai and tensed his muscles, waiting for further signal; he crouched low and darted out as soon as he caught the flicker of movement, unfortunately, however, his target wasn't what he was expecting,

"W-hey… Genma! What are you doing?"

"Ugh, Naruto, what the hell are you doing wandering around in the middle of the night?" Genma lowered his kunai irritatedly, as the younger shinobi let out a steep breath of comedic relief,

"Hey, I needed to pee. Besides, weren't you supposed to stay inside the camp whilst you kept guard?"

"I was falling asleep," He shot back, as they wandered back away from the woodline, "Besides, why didn't you warn me you were getting up? I could've killed you,"

"Haha!" Naruto's uninhibited laughter cut across, perhaps a little too loudly for the cautious night, "Yea right! Nobody can kill me!"

"That arrogance of yours, Narut–" Both shinobi suddenly snapped to attention as another presence made itself known to them –  _what was with all of the traffic tonight?_  With their kunais drawn, they took up the standard defensive positions – Genma wondering if this would end up being another member of the platoon out to irritate him, but instead, a curiously shaped, shadow appeared from nowhere – and as it twisted, slowly and deliberately, Genma's mouth fell open in utter surprise at the fact it turned out to be a woman, an elderly woman… one who just so happened to apparently be Kakashi's grandmother.

"What in the f-?" She frowned at Genma's poor choice of words,

"I know shinobi are famous for their filthy mouths, but really, in front of an elderly woman such as me?" She questioned, with one of her eyebrows raised looking the least bit frail or delicate that her words implied,

"But you're… Kakashi's grandmother."

"What?-!" Naruto cut across, only to be sharply shushed by her,

"Do you want to bring the entirely of Iwa out here? I heard you from more than a mile away!" She scolded, "But its imperative I speak with you, Mr…"

"Shiranui Genma," He offered, "But why? How did you…?"

"I recognised you from that time you were here a few months ago – with Kakashi."

"Yes, that's right – you were in the corridor carrying a pot of tea," He remembered, his head cocking to the side slightly in recognition, as the elderly woman smiled wryly,

"It wasn't entirely an accident, but still I have much to talk with you about – is there somewhere we can get out of the cold?"

"Y…yes, of course,"

"Genma, idiot, we don't know if we can trust her! Even if she is Kakashi's grandma!"

 

"She's already here, Naruto, we can't do anything about that now – but can find out why she's here – this way, please, Urushima-san," Genma motioned for her to head towards the main tent, "Naruto – go and advise Aoba and Hanishi-san of the situation,"

"Roger!"

"Now," Genma began as soon as they were seated inside one of the tents, which had been cleared of all the sleeping shinobi (who were rather… _disgruntled_  at having been moved on in the middle of a much needed night's sleep), it had been taken over by Aoba, Hanishi, Naruto, Genma and Ino, who was the attending medic as well as the resident 'truth teller'; "Urushima-san, please tell me why you're here,"

"I must leave Iwagakure…the place is collapsing and I do not wish to be here when it crumbles. I've wanted to leave for a long time but this seemed to perfect opportunity."

"Why didn't you just leave yourself?"

"In the middle of a war? Ho ho ho," She waved her hand slightly, as though it dismissed the suggestion for her, "I know I look young and spritely, but there's still far too much risk – I doubt Konoha would be happy to take in an enemy nin on the eve of war!" Hanishi narrowed his eyes slightly, dropping a hand onto the table edge, with the other at his hip,

"Urushima-san, exactly what  _opportunity_  are you hoping we'll provide you with?"

"An escape to Konoha – I have not been a serving shinobi for some time, the Iwa authorities think I am too feeble, but I hold some power yet and I'm certain I can be an asset to Hidden Leaf – even if it's only through what I know," That caused all of the shinobi present to purse their lips slightly in worry – a ninja of questionable allegiance both was and wasn't a desirable one to have,

"You seem all too willing to betray your village,"

"That is  _not_  my village, Hanishi-san, it hasn't been for a long time, though I was powerless to leave – Iwagakure is a twisted village that has no respect for its shinobi nor love for its citizens, I wish to see it crumble and taste its own bitterness," Her expression was solid and determined, Genma really couldn't feel any falsity from her – but that by itself wasn't nearly enough,

"I see. Forgive me, Urushima-san, but we must make certain you aren't lying – or attempting to betray us. Ino, please look into her mind and determine whether she's lying to us." The kuniochi nodded and moved forwards, pulling her chakra to the fore and regulating it ready to perform her clan's jutsu as she spoke sensitively to the elderly ninja,

"This will be invasive, Urushima-san, but you will not be harmed,"

"I understand," She replied whilst raising her chin slightly, in an obvious, though checked move of acceptance and complicity; the blonde raised her hands and placed them on the elder's hair, her mind's eye quickly awakening in the stranger's brain – it took a few minutes of scanning but a lot of memories surfaced, most depicting many Iwa nin – all of whom elicited feelings of anger and hatred.

One memory that appeared before Ino was – amazingly – of Kakashi – sat in front of her and apparently grinning,  _what the?_ Unable to resist probing a little further, she discovered that this had taken place more than a month or so previously, where she'd met up with her…  _grandson_  for the first time in some thirty six years _._ This, of course, utterly floored Ino – and after looking around a little more and finding more evidence to support her theory – concluded that Urushima was indeed telling the truth.

"…What is it?" Hanishi asked after seeing the look on Ino's face,

"You-you're Kakashi-sensei's  _grandmother_?"

The elderly woman smiled genially and nodded, "Hai…one reason I'd like to leave is to reconnect with Kakashi," The entire group shared a dubious look with each other at that remark,

"Otherwise, Hanishi-Taichou, she is telling the truth – I can detect no ulterior motive." Ino said,

"All right… then if you want us to get you out, Urushima-san, then you'll need to help us with some choice bits of information."

The elderly woman grinned,"I anticipated this and made a point of gathering some especially useful bits of information for you," Her grin turned a touch a malicious, "Primarily which bits of Iwa are the least well-guarded and which bits the daimyos tend to frequent the most," Hanishi raised his head in a slow, half nod as he took in that snippet of information, perhaps he was acting rashly, but this was a delightfully tempting offer that had flown into his lap – and any chance to end the conflict on a quicker time frame was a boon he couldn't afford to miss.

"Then it appears, Urushima-san, that we have some serious planning to do."

 

* * *

 

Wazishi rubbed his hands over his forehead for the fifth time in as many minutes, he almost felt as though he was on the verge of a heart attack from the stress the Kumo nin were forcing on him. He'd tried in vain to explain to them that Gerimaru had been  _abducted_  rather than fled, but the Kumo nin were apparently as stubborn as they were stupid – the Kenjin had to admit, he sorely missed Gerimaru; as irritating as he could be, he was someone Wazishi trusted very much and knew he could rely on.

"Well? What are you going to do? We were due to make the move on Konoha three days ago… if your stupid ninja hadn't gone and run off." The most senior of the three Kumo nin spoke up in his typical arrogant timbre,

"Asiro- _sama_ , I have explained to you the situation – and there is nothing more I can do about it at this very moment, it would be too bizarre for me to send out a number of my forces to go and retrieve a supposed 'ally'," Wazishi said in as measured a tone as he could manage.

The dark haired (and horribly scarred) shinobi frowned, disgruntled, "Yes, you've long explained that, Old Man, and it's a stupid idea, what we're asking is that you send out a few of your nin to go to Konoha, for some reason and infect them with the modified virus from within," The aubergine haired kuniochi sighed impatiently, "That was our plan will be used to its best effect and you better cooperate, Wazishi, or you'll lose even more of your ninja to  _unfortunate_ accidents," The elderly man sighed heavily, still unsure of how he might best thwart the two tyrants in front of him,

"H-hai, Kazuko-sama." He just sorely hoped that Gerimaru was having better luck than he and that somehow, Konoha would forgive him for the position he'd let himself get caught in.

 

 

"It's about damn time! Honestly, you keep me locked up here for days and you've yet to even  _ask_  me anything! I'm not a trophy, damnit!" The red-headed Uzu nin demanded as soon as Sakura had stepped into the room – expertly pretending he couldn't see the obvious tension between them,

"Shut up… I still have no idea of your intentions, Gerimaru, so until such time that I do, you'll remain as my prisoner." Sakura snapped back,

"Excuse me," Kakashi began, his irritation clear to say the least, "I was in the middle of the interrogation."

"He's my prisoner, you should have discussed it with me before you tried to step in,"

Kakashi's eye narrowed fleetingly, "I am the most senior shinobi here, I take over the responsibilities for further protocol and dealing with prisoners,"

"Bollocks, we're the same rank," Her expression was one of utter defiance, Gerimaru saw, as she span around to face him, the Uzu nin wasn't sure why but Kakashi merely issued a short, irritated breath – since when did the Copy Nin take insolence from a once subordinate? "Gerimaru, what was it, exactly, that made you decide to 'join' my team and I when we were about to leave?" The captured shinobi's eyes darted between the both of them,

"Just as I told you then, I didn't trust the fact that Kumo had been visiting Uzushio and that there had been a vast area of destruction on the West side of the island,"

Sakura folded her arms and shifted the weight on her feet, "And yet you knew absolutely  _nothing_  about the situation?"

"I'd been out of the village for a number of days, travelling to Konoha." The redhead attempted to answer with patience, but it was obvious it took some restraint, "Sakura, how long have we known each other? How much have we both put in to forming an alliance between the Leafs and Whirlpool? You really think we'd jeopardise that so easily? And for what, to align with those Kumo assholes?"

 

"Gerimaru," Kakashi began, finally stepping forward, "Whilst it's true that it seems very illogical for you to suddenly appear after so many years to make false friends, we can't rule it out as a possibility. We're all at great risk here, Gerimaru, and Konoha is vulnerable, any mistakes could well prove fatal," There was a queer intensity to the silver-haired nin's voice – it wasn't anything like weakness, but neither was it the same as the cool confidence he normally exuded,

"I know that… but I don't know what I could do to convince you I'm telling the truth. I honestly thought you'd have a bit more trust in me."

"I don't inherently distrust you, it's just that I have to take into consideration the situation and evidence." Sakura replied, in a similar timbre to Kakashi, her eyes flashed over to him momentarily.

"Though it is somewhat circumstantial, I suppose there is some credibility to it," The Copy Nin spoke next and from their still rather distant-tones, he wasn't sure if they talking about the same thing he was thinking of, his eyebrows knitted for a split second as he looked between the two Leafs, "Sakura, please explain your reasoning for capturing Gerimaru," His voice was gravely and held some edge of fatigue to it.

"…Gerimaru's suspicions inherently matched my own and for the shaky situation, he seemed to be just a little too eager to point fingers at his own people – especially for the fact he is Wazishi's right hand man. Of course, by the time we were ready to leave he'd already seen us and I didn't want to risk him casting aspersions on Konoha that Kumo might take advantage of and make the war worse for us," Kakashi nodded slowly, taking in everything the kuniochi was saying;

"I suppose in the circumstances you didn't have too much of an option and you had to draw  _some_  conclusion," Kakashi paused for a few minutes, "Gerimaru, tell me your analysis of the situation in Uzushiogakure…do you think Wazishi is being forced into a corner by Kumo?" Both the Uzumaki and the kuniochi looked at Kakashi identically, though for polar opposite reasons – the former because he'd been thinking that might have been the case for some time, and the latter because Sakura too had been sensing Kakashi's words had been a result of him feeling forced into a corner, too.

"Well, I didn't have the opportunity to talk honestly with Kenjin-san*, he stopped me or diverted the conversation whenever I tried to address some things that were bothering me. I think he really was worried about the Kumo ninja in Uzushio, I'm not sure if he was expecting them or if they'd just forced their way in and threatened him, but either's bad.

"The only thing I can say for certain, is that Wazishi-sama never once discussed Kumo with me as being anything other than a threatening force – please believe me when I tell you that I am absolutely certain is that Wazishi-sama never had any intention of allying with Cloud – he really, really wanted a good alliance with Konoha. Cloud have been our enemies for years and were one of the primary driving forces for our near-destruction years and years ago. I feel more and more sure Wazishi-sama is being coerced against his will,"

Kakashi nodded sharply, raising his eyes to the ceiling in what was a typical 'thinking-pose' for him, Sakura herself moved and took a few steps towards the door, "Thank you Gerimaru, I'll be back in a little while," Her abrupt exit apparently caught the Copy Nin by surprise too, as he seemed compelled to follow her out of the door, which snapped closed behind him. Out in the corridor, he found the kuniochi awaiting him, she looked on edge and she acted as soon as her eyes locked with his,

"Saku–" He found himself thrust back against the wall of the corridor as Sakura yanked down his mask and had her lips on his in a split second – he almost, shamelessly, found himself so caught up in the intensity of the moment that he put his lingering anger and frustration completely aside as he returned the kiss and looped his arms around her. He  _had_  missed her, despite his secondary and rather ill-favoured temper that had caught him off guard the night previously. Far too quickly he could feel her pull back slightly, but he returned to himself quickly enough, once he'd remembered the situation they were in – and just how  _publicly_ they were expressing something that was supposed to be a secret,

"Kakashi, I'm sorry about yesterday, I know you've had some nasty battles to deal with and I know I was taking things a little bit personally, but..."

He'd heard enough, as a smile slipped onto his face, "It's okay."

"No! It's not! I'm sorry, I know you've had a really hard time Kakashi – I have too, but, well, if we still have anything left to argue about, I'm pretty sure it can wait until we're safely back within Konoha – and not in the middle of a war!" Her expression was one of deep concern and also slight desperation, eager as she was to get across her apology and to reassure him, but Kakashi merely tugged her a little closer and touched his forehead to hers; the cool metal of his haitai-ate strangely reassuring against her impassioned apology,

"It's okay, we're at war, none of this is easy for anybody let alone us who're trying to juggle a relationship at the same time." Her reserved, almost shy grin that returned his words had his heart skip a beat; he took advantage of the fact that his face was, for once, bear and he pushed his lips back to hers.

Though this time, it was a far more intense kiss that truly expressed the ends of their relief to be together and to understand one another – that despite all of the war and hatred raging around them, they still had each other and it was a deeper comfort. Somehow, it still contained a fiery passion that had them gripping each other just a bit tighter in an effort to further rid themselves of the stresses and glean as much of the blissful and paradoxically unadulterated pleasure as they could… it really didn't matter for the fact they were in the middle of a public corridor and could be discovered at any moment – all of it just took the back seat next to the fact they were there, together, alive and  _happy_.

 

* * *

 

"Ready?" Genma queried, allowing a smile to steal onto his face as he glanced at Naruto's hearty and oh-so-typical grin,

"Roger," The tokabetsu Jounin tapped the pressel on his short-range radio as he sounded his own voice of readiness into the mouth-piece, as the small section readied themselves, Naruto almost bursting at the seams, desperate to leap in and put a stop to the conflict he'd been caught in over the past few weeks. The radio crackled back to life and all of the pieces were set – they received their word of go – the section leapt forward, Naruto creating his taijuu kage bunshin, two of whom helping him to form his  _rasengan_  as he flew in first in line.

The poor building didn't stand a chance as the great whirling mass of wind chakra flew and twisted and sliced through the feeble wood and paper walls; the struts protested and the people within the office shouted just as loudly, but no opening was given to them for escape, as soon as the great sphere cut through, Aoba stepped up and send a great katon  _karyuu edan_  [fire dragon flame projectile] which decimated the first of the shinobi that attempted to compensate for the sudden attack, though a great wall of earth appeared and blocked the last remnants of the jutsu, it appeared utterly unharmed.

The earthen blockade fell away to reveal a familiar, pudgy face and beady eyes,

"Riro…" Genma hissed as he began to flash his hands through his own seals, leaping forwards to tackle the troublesome nin head-on whilst Naruto and Aoba primarily tackled the remaining nin in the room to even up the odds – the other shinobi that were working on planting more of the explosives at the key points Riika had outlined in the plan they'd concocted two days earlier, everything had been run through and planned to almost sickening detail – including many contingency plans just in case. They knew Taneki would be here and Genma was all set for him – he hadn't fought Riro before, but Kakashi had and he'd learned a lot from even the brief encounter…and he'd told the tokabesu Jounin  _all_  about it.

At the same time, just as Naruto had thrust his  _rasengan_  through the corner of the building, two other simultaneous explosions detonated in major buildings across the hidden village of Rock, the confusion caused by the simultaneity gave the Leaf ninja a swift advantage, in that the effective shinobi within Iwa were unsure which threat to attack first – in these vital few seconds, though, the Konoha nin had followed up with their own, more directed attacks at specific enemy nin. The fighting was tight and focused, every nin opposing the Iwagakure forces felt as though this was the final effort – that if they could succeed in this battle, then enough would have been done that they could return to Konoha. And maybe even put the war to rest.

Genma gritted his teeth as he collided punches and kicks with Riro, the twisted man's grin was unsettling as was imaginable and it wasn't easy to prevent it from distracting him; the man gave him no quarter and Genma had no time to step back and cast an appropriate jutsu that might flatten the large man. He had a defence jutsu cast, though, which encrusted his right hand in dense rock which meant his hitting power was vastly increased; Genma wasn't finding it easy to counter the crushing power of the punches and find his own in between the wide swing spaces – Genma managed to pull back and leap away, giving himself some space whilst he dug into his pouch and pulled out a scroll that, when unfolded, summoned a genjutsu – though it immediately appeared to Riro like it was an oddly shaped shuriken.

"Ha, you'll never get me with  _that_  you pathetic Leaf – this city will never crumble to your excuse for an invasion, you Konoha nins have had an easy ride for far too long."

"And you think you're the ones who deserve to decide everything? You've caused a lot of people a lot of trouble over the years," The fake Genma responded, keeping Riro occupied whilst the real nin darted over to the left, dropping a couple of kibakufuda[exploding tags] as he went, but, through sheer bad luck, the Iwa nin hurled a shuriken and it struck a tag on the far side of the room, hurling Genma to the floor and jolting Riro out of the genjutsu and res-sparking his irritation worse than before, the Iwa nin nearly barked his anger and leapt forwards, hardly giving time for Genma to find his feet, or form any sort of defence.

Naruto darted into the group of Rock shinobi that had gathered below the building he'd just hit, throwing kicks and punches through his kage bunshin, though most of them were easily destroyed at the hands of shinobi that were as skilled as they were angry; the blonde was coping well with the first three of the nin, but the remaining two had thrown giant shurkiens and cast a water jutsu before Naruto could react to defeat it. But he was in luck, for a great blur moved and at once the throwing star was deflected and an enormous earthen hand rose out of the ground and grabbed the great wave that shot towards the blonde Leaf. Riika darted forwards, seconds later, with a long sword drawn and her chakra charged,

"Whoa! Kakashi-obaa-chan! Way to go!"

"Hmm, there's still it a bit more to me than wrinkles!" She sped forwards and slashed through the first nin, her reactions far swifter than was naturally assumed for the elderly, her sword began to glow with a bluish haze which enlargened her reach by almost three feet – and caught the second shinobi by surprise ad severed his right hand just below the wrist. Her second thrust pierced his chest and killed him in a moment; she turned back and, upon seeing that Naruto was now thoroughly in control of the battle, she darted away, knowing there was one man in particular she would relish killing.

He wasn't far and was, happily, on the losing side of the battle; she waited, safely hidden in the shadows for some time, observing the twist and flow of the fight; Shiranu was a good fighter with quick reactions, but his weaknesses were obvious and the proof was in how long the battle had taken already. She again charged her sword with chakra and paused, just as Riro darted forwards, he noticed the kuniochi, however, and hurled a fistful of shuriken in her direction, yet her chakra charged blade easily cast them aside as though they were made of little more than cardboard.

Riro had no knowledge of her jutsu or either believed her no longer capable, as he'd turned his attention right back to Genma and that was his fatal mistake; she'd lunged with her chakra sharp bade and priced it through his chest, manipulating her chakra at the final moment to send two tendrils out, parallel to the initial blade – just to cause that man a fraction more pain.

"Urushima-san we can't thank you enough for help us in this matter," Hinishi bowed his head slightly in thanks, whilst the elderly woman smiled lightly, feeling her own sense pride at the fact she'd managed to take her own slice of vengeance on Iwa, killing her share of those who'd done her wrong. The battle hadn't taken too much more time, after some the Lords and most of the senior shinobi had been taken out, the others buckled willingly and it was easy to reinstill a sense of authority to the tentative hidden village – though Konoha couldn't withdraw all of its forces, they'd called for reinforcements to be sent before they went in and the present company should be on the return journey for respite within three days.

"You're quite welcome. I do want  _one_ thing for my troubles."

Hanishi narrowed his eyes slightly and cocked his head playfully, knowing what was coming, "What, exactly?"

"I want to emigrate to Konoha."

 

* * *

 

"…Got it?" Wazishi queried, keeping his senses wide open for any listening in Kumo shinobi, his specially selected team all nodded as they crouched in front of him, "I know you know this – but Konoha are not our true enemies here,"

"Hai, Kenjin-san," The taichou responded swiftly, his firm nod assuring Wazishi ever-so-slightly that his underlying message had been received and understood,

"Then you're dismissed… see to it that you complete your mission," He spoke louder this time, though his heart was as heavy as his eyelids,

"We will hurry and complete what our Kenjin-san commands of us," Hanomaru-Taichou spoke with a confidence that was not matched by his heart – he knew what was being asked of him – to  _not_ attack Konoha with the vials of virus that he'd been entrusted with, but he couldn't realistically see how he could do anything else – it would be obvious within weeks or days that Konoha hadn't been hit and then it would his hide – or at worse, Wazishi-sama's – at the hands of the remorseless Cloud ninja.

He lead his team away swiftly – after a bow of courtesy to Wazishi – he wouldn't be able to think clearly until he was off the island of Uzushio and would no longer have the Kumo breathing down their necks; Hanomaru didn't know what Kumo had on Wazishi-sama, but it was evident that they were in a tight position and it was looking more and more like the choice was between Hidden Whirlpool and Hidden Leaf.

…Of course, Hidden Whirlpool was looking at a massacre not matter how long they played the games Cloud set out for them – the master invariably killed his rat when he was bored of the game. His team's apparent mood mirrored his own as the pace slowed considerably once they were onto mainland Fire, they'd chosen to arc up and attack Konoha from a North-Easternly position – mostly because it afforded more time for them to think about how they might tackle the issue of an order they didn't want to execute.

Hanomaru had wondered if he might approach Konoha and discuss the issue with them, but he accurately guessed that the nation in the midst of war on two separate fronts, would not have the tie or resources to devote to a diversion convincing enough that their Kenjin-san and the village would not face a vengeful decimation.

"Hanomaru-Taichou!" Ankira shouted, catching the team leader's attention,

"Hai?"

"My scouting animals have reported something – I… it seems they think they're catching the scent of Gerimaru-san,"

"W-what?" Hanomaru was genuinely surprised as he skidded to a halt on the broad branch, the rest of his team appeared beside him in seconds, "Gerimaru was captured over a week ago – we thought he was taken to Konoha."

"Kiina is certain, Taichou, he's about forty kilometres north west of here."

"Any other scents?" Ankira's ninja-fox had the best nose Uzu had ever seen;

"Many, but I never met with the Konoha nin who came to our village, and neither did Kiina, so whether its them or not…" He trailed off as Hanomaru nodded,

"Well, it seems quite unlikely that Gerimaru would choose to remain there and not return to Uzushio of his own free will – we have to assume that he's still being held by his captors… and what sort of Uzushio nin would we be if we abandoned our superior in his time of need?" Ankira and the rest of the team all grinned,

"We couldn't possibly call ourselves Whirlpool nin, Taichou, besides, it  _is_  on our way…"

"Can't argue with that – lead the way, Ankira," The team darted off – at twice the pace they'd been clocking before – partly due to the fact they could put off their mission for a tiny while longer, and partly due to the new sense of purpose and desire they had in rescuing Gerimaru. Their captain slowed them once they got to about fifteen kilometres out and he slowed them enough to explain the plan he'd been concocting,

"All r–" The rest of the word died on his tongue as his senses picked up on the presence of  _Kumogakure_  forces closing in on the decrepit city, their number wasn't particularly great, but it had been something of a shock – why would they be in this part of Fire? Not to mention the fact they could expose the fact he hadn't yet completed his mission, "What the f—"

"Taichou, let me go in and assess what's going on. It's pretty obvious that Konoha must be here, otherwise why would Cloud care about this place?"

"Ishi, this is too dangerous, I can't let you."

"You know my  _kamereon_  technique is perfect, I know I can get in and find out what's happening," The determined blue eyes of Ishi was almost convincing enough – this situation had just gotten  _way_ out of hand, and frankly, even the Jounin team leader wasn't sure what the best course of action was; "Please, Captain, I know I can do this – if anything happens I can keep still and  _none_  will see me – besides, Kumo haven't attacked yet, they're still a good ten kilometres away from the city…their advance is slow."

"But we don't know  _why_ , Ishi, there could be a trap there that no amount of invisibility will help you avoid…" Hanomaru sighed sharply and dropped his forehead to his fingertips, rubbing them stressfully across the dark material tied there,

"Taichou," The youngest of the team spoke up, "I think some of the Cloud ninja are starting to move, towards the ruined city," The captain's head snapped up as he heard this, edging forward in a subconscious, though vain, effort to verify his subordinate's words;

"What do we do now, Taichou? We can't sneak in through the middle of a battle and rescue Gerimaru!  _That_  is too dangerous."

 

"Well we can't just sit here and wait for the squabbles to settle themselves, can we? Besides, we have our  _own_  mission to complete and we can't delay too long. We'll head in as a group and cover each other – we'll circle around to slip in through the least occupied area, the forest grows right up to the outskirts."

The three who remained of the team all shared a brief nervous look between each other, this had suddenly taken precedence over their original mission – and as much as they did not want to carry it out, it was something quite different from sneaking into the midst of battle to rescue one of their captured nin – which could potentially land them between two mutual enemies who'd happily crush them along with their primary targets.

Still, the Uzuzhio nin couldn't seem to find the words to halt their Taichou and he took off, leading them around the far, eastern edge of the abandoned city, they kept low and hidden, wary of the great shouts and fights of the battle, the thunderous explosions and  _cracks_  of jutsu befalling their opponent. Ishi, who was about a Chuunin level, was very conscious of his proximity to the conflict behind him – he'd never been in such an intense battle – very few Whirlpool missions were conducted outside of their territories – and even fewer happened where they ended up in conflict with other high ranking ninja.

Almost all of Uzushio's energies went into hiding away their existence and defending themselves from unfriendly eyes, learning the skills and abilities of the other nations, but never engaging them – Naidime Ishi had never been into the interior of Fire and he certainly had never considered facing more than one enemy at a time.

"All right – Ankira, you and Kiima lead in the two o'clock direction, then myself, Yima and finally Ishi – keep your eyes open and avoid all trouble if you can, the key is to free Gerimaru  _not_ to engage with the enemy, which could potentially be both Konoha as well as Cloud, who'll kill us or Wazishi-sama if they find us here."

They darted through the streets, the nin fox leaping ahead, yipping its signals to change direction or avoid any persons nearby; the city was far larger than they'd imagined and the traps that had been strewn about the place were intricate and they only avoided most thanks to Kiima's sensitive nose that detected the concentrated points of unfamiliar scent. They got right to the interior of the city before Ishi and Ankira separated off to find Gerimaru, whilst Hanomaru and Yima span around to cancel the attack of an unfamiliar blonde kuniochi holding a great fan.

"It would seem that we're really the centre of attention, right now, hmm?" Their weapons flicked in their hands and chakra began to swirl in anticipation of a confrontation, "What the hell are Uzushio shinobi doing here?"

"We're here to rescue one of our own who was taken prisoner." Hanomaru explained quickly, as the kuniochi frowned slightly and cocked her head,

"The readhead? Gera…uh–"

"Germaru-sama, yes,"

"He's free at the moment – he's helping us fight the Kumo nin – but last I heard you lot were cahoots with Cloud," She seemed rather well informed for the fact she wasn't a Leaf ninja,

"What's going on?" Kakashi appeared a second later, his clothes slightly tattered and a few nicks in his skin,

"Kakashi-san! I had no idea you were here! We came to rescue Gerimaru-sama, but we hear he's free?"

"Right, right," Kakashi threw his fist around, the specialised kunai gripped in it deflecting the shuriken thrown at him, "Gerimaru's helping us and you'll have to as well – Kumo are causing too many problems, we can talk about it later."

"H-Hai," Hanomaru span around and flew into the battle – he trusted Kakashi and had worked with him all that time ago when they'd first arrived in Whirlpool and had visited the old ruins the hidden village. As he buried himself into the attack – there were four Kumo nin clustering, each attempting to land a blow on Sakura, though she wasn't making it easy, between her decimating strikes that ruptured the ground and her exceptional evasion techniques meant they'd yet to land more than a scratch.

Hanomaru leapt forward and swiped the edge of his kunai at the closest nin, who dodged, and brought his own kunai up to block the strike, giving the kuniochi some breathing space. The Kumo shinobi didn't appear to recognise him, and he cursed the fact his clothing so easily gave him away as Uzushio shinobi; still he hated Kumo more than he was ordered to hate Konoha, so he darted back and prepared a lightning jutsu. He thrust his hand forward so that a form of  _hiraishin_  [electric needles] that discharged with enough forced that it literally stopped the Cloud shinobi in his tracks, whilst their death was swiftly dished up the Sand shinobi who hurled a great blade of wind energy at the defenceless ninja, and he was sliced nearly in half.

The fighting was clumsy the buildings took a harsh brunt of the worst of the jutsu, many of the Cloud nin befell the numerous traps that had been loaded about the place – yet, they were obviously on the losing side and the Leaf ninja were beginning to take some heart that they might be able to quell their enemy and this side of the fighting soon, but it was too soon to let their guards wane.

"Kakashi!" Pakkun's concerned voice shouted as the little pug dashed forwards, appearing out of the treeline, weaving through the legs and kunais, he'd never been so busy over the past few days as he had been in his life, "Kakashi! You have to retreat, there's reinforcements coming from–" The pug skidded to a halt as Hanomaru jumped aside from a great fire jutsu that had been cast by the last Kumo nin to be disposed of – but he couldn't evade it all, however and it singed its entire way down his right hand side, including his haitai-ate, which had been essentially split in two.

A shuriken and the three vials of virus in liquid suspension slipped from the pouch and fell down towards the ground, through sheer bad luck, the shuriken fell and scratched open a wound on the pug's head, micro seconds later, all three of the vials dropped onto Pakkun's haitai-ate and smashed open, dribbling the small, but potent volume over the pug's head and into his wound.

"Pakkun!" Kakashi shouted, his instinct telling him whatever had been present in the glass bottles was not for fair means,

"The vials!" Hanomaru grabbed at his pouch and span around, very quickly grasping the situation, "They were vials of the virus! It's been released! We have to get out of here!" The Uzu nin screamed, catching the attention of all very quickly, whilst he darted away, to put as much distance from the potentially lethal virus as he could. Kakashi, however, only ran forwards, skidding to a halt so that he could scoop Pakkun up in his arms, utter dread filling his veins as the pug merely whimpered pitifully…

 

..

 

.

 

_*Just in case you've forgotten or missed this in an earlier chapter, 'Kenjin-san' means roughly 'wise man' and is something I've used for a means of addressing an elder/senior shinobi in Uzushio_

_-Hope you all remember who Kazuko is! Mwahahaha, her part Kumo was limited, but there she learned valuable things *evil grin*_

_Nnnnnnnooooooooo! Pakkun! :O_


	30. The Swirls In The Water Of The Whirl

 

 

"So you're Urushima Riika," Tsunade confirmed,

"Hai, Godaime-sama." The elderly woman replied politely, the smile on her face was small and transparent,

"I looked through the records and found that you'd left Konoha some thirty-five years ago and you want to return now? Forgive me, but it all seems a little strange."

"It isn't strange, Hokage-sama, when I left Konohagakure for the first time, my daughter had just been killed by the Uchiha clan – and it was barely a few years after my husband had died, I needed to see what remained of my family back in Iwa – what had been planned to be a short visit had resulted in me being trapped and even after the Third War, Iwa had only become a more paranoid and volatile village, as I got older, the opportunities for me to return home, to Konoha, became ever more limited." Tsunade nodded slowly at Riika's explanation.

"Well, unfortunately, I have no time to listen further or question you over your story and neither can I be too careful – you have come directly from an enemy village – take her to Inoichi. Urushima-san, you don't  _have_  to cooperate for us to get the information we want, but it might well prove in your favour to do so."

"I understand completely, thank you Tsunade-sama," The elderly nin was led out and down the corridor by the surrounding two ANBU, Riika wasn't worried – she knew what the score would be in Konoha, and she fully expected torture to one degree or another; Rock might have had its guts ripped out by Konoha, but they were known to be weeds – you can pull up the stem, but the root remains hidden and just as poisonous.

"Inoichi – here is Urushima Riika – brought in from Iwagakure, you were briefed?"

"Hai, you can leave her here," The man was quite tall and, surprisingly, had an amiable face, "This way," He led her towards a small wooden seat, he placed her arms on the sides, before four other nin stepped up beside her and flashed their hands though the seals and a great round wall suddenly encircled her; it inexplicably expanded as though it were silly foam and in a second had her surrounded leaving no gaps, it felt to her skin as though it were the foam used to extinguish fires, rather than contain people. Soon enough, the only thing left was her head sticking out of the great dome, Inochi, having taken on a stony expression to his face, placed a flat palm to her forehead and immediately she was plunged into the mirror of her own thoughts, though most of which were her conscious memories, ones that she recalled easily – and in reverse chronological order, until she eventually everything became a mush and she blacked out.

 

"She's completely clean, Tsunade-sama," Inoichi began, "A full scan of her memories show that here is no evidence of foul play or coercion – or even justsu usage that might suggest she has any ill intentions towards Konohagakure."

"Hmm…and her intention to return to Konoha?"

"Just as she said – because she feels safer here than in Iwa, she also wished to reconnect with Kakashi."

"I see. Has she said anything further to you?"

"No, she's still feeling the effects of our jutsu, though she should return to full consciousness within the next ten or so minutes."

"Good, that's all I need to hear."

 

"Alright, Riika-san," Inoichi started, "I'll take you down to the accommodation block where you'll be temporarily staying."

"Temporarily?" She raised an eyebrow in good humour,

"Hai, some things still need to be sorted out – and you do still have some trust to earn before you can become a citizen of Konoha."

She nodded in comprehension whilst she cocked her head slightly, "I met a young girl like you, before, who had the same technique as yours… your daughter perhaps?"

"Ah, right, she was sent out with the teams to Iwa… hahah." He chuckled, 

"She is very skilled," Riika rose to her feet as she spoke and followed the blond haired shinobi out of the room and down the hall; as the Iwa kuniochi looked about carefully, all she could see were happy, diligent people – none of whom looked scared or subversive. It was truly a wonder, one that brought with it bittersweet memories of her time in Konoha, back when her husband and daughter had still been alive and the sun shined never more brightly.

"What's on your mind?" Inoichi asked gently,

"So there are times that you  _do_ ask?"

"I prefer not to mix business and pleasure. Do you have any questions about the next few weeks?"

"Not officially, though I was hoping to…"

"Yes?"

"Well, I was really hoping to see Kakashi's house. He spoke of moving back into his father's - Sakumo's - old home. I don't want to go in, but I just… have a lot of memories there." She didn't see the gentle smile on the Leaf nin's face,

"I'll see what I can do."

 

 

It looked almost identical to how she remembered – though the trees had grown in more – the house had always seemed so full of character and curiosity and still it looked that way; she could almost see Eiko on the front porch ready to welcome her in for lunch. For the second year of Kakashi's life, they'd relied heavily on Riika to look after him whilst they were both called away to the Hokage or on missions; she'd never previously understood the happiness that so many of her friends had spoken about in watching over their grandchildren, and yet, those days to keeping care of Kakashi she recalled as being among the most cherished of her life. Riika was conscious of the ANBU close by her and Inoichi who'd agreed to accompany her to the house, but she allowed herself to look around, remembering a small hide-away that Sakumo had built – partly for a weapons cache and partly as a safe-house, she recalled the problems they'd had with the Uchiha clan and the fact they were to blame for Eiko's death. She closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself for a moment, though the memory fought its way into her consciousness none the less,

_"Okaa-san! You made it!"_

_"Of course I would, Eiko, how could you think I wouldn't want to see my grandson?" Eiko merely rolled her eyes as she welcomed her mother with a warm hug; they both broke apart and wandered into the house, sitting comfortably in the kitchen beside a gently sleeping Kakashi, safely clipped into a small chair. "Where's Sakumo? I though he wasn't supposed to leave on his mission for another few hours."_

_"Right, he just left into the village to pick up a couple of extra kunai and kibakufuda." She responded, setting a small tray of tea on the table whilst glancing over at her son to check he was still comfortable; Riika mirrored her action, looking carefully at the boy,_

_"Your father would be so proud to see you married with a son…"_

_"Well I doubt he'd be happy to hear about the Uchiha," She countered, "They've become increasingly nosy… if any bother you, take Kakashi and return to the village immediately, we've rigged the house, but Kakashi is our main worry,"_

_"I can still handle myself!" The elder Urushima defended, "But hasn't the Hokage done anything? Allied nin spying on each other shouldn't be taken to kindly."_

_"No… he has nothing to go on, for the moment and he can't go around casting aspersions, but we're taking good precautions and I have a few things to show you, before we leave, just so you'll know what to expect if the Uchiha do try anything." The sudden sound of the front door sliding open had both women look over to the door was to see Sakumo walk in, setting a small paper bag down on the nearest counter,_

_"I picked up a couple of extra food supplies for you." He began, "Welcome," Smiling cordially at his mother in law, whilst he placed a gentle hand on Kakashi's head careful not to disturb the still sleeping child as he kissed his wife on her crown and took a seat beside her;_

_"I caught that little Fugaku watching me whilst I was in the village, he's sneaky little thing, but I'd expect better hiding skills from a supposed Chuunin."_

_"Any other Uchiha?"_

_"No more than their typical presence, but I assume he was ordered to watch my actions. Riika-san, we have some things to show you."_

_"Yes, Eiko was saying as such, what sort of traps have you set? They'll have to be pretty crafty to outsmart the Uchiha."_

_"Well, I'm pretty crafty myself, and they'll be expecting the expected. Eiko is a wonderful engineer and she'd masterminded a number of traps – even before she moved here, we built upon them."_

_"Oh?"_

_"So you remember me telling you about the traps I'd set that would only let me know if someone had been to my apartment? Or gone through my things?" Riika nodded, "Well, I expanded on that idea to encompass the house, there are hidden notes throughout the house that respond to specific chakra signatures and will basically allow us to identify the individuals who enter this house, based on their chakra."_

_"Wh… how is that possible?" Riika asked,_

_"It works a little like chromatography – we've tested it out on several nin without their knowledge so we should be able to identify most with a glance. Of course there are other traps, of a more attack based nature which will help to repel or at least encourage them to get the hell out of here."_

_"Excellent," The Urushima grinned, "Of what sort, kibakufuda? Kunai?"_

_"To a degree, but you know about Eiko's chakra knives, right? Well, we've incorporated some of that ironwork into the frames of this house – we've charged them to respond to any kunai that are drawn and chakra that's summoned – even the faintest amount – they'll play off against each other and hopefully give a nasty sting to anyone who dares cross the threshold… most of the kunai we've planted have a grain of the same chakra-sensitive metal." Sakumo explained, watching the grin widened ever further across her face,_

_"You two are dangerous together!"_

_Sakumo matched her glee,_ _"Apparently we have to be."_

_Riika smiled kindly at her daughter and son in law as they left on their respective missions, Kakashi in arms as she stood on the porch,_

_"By Okaa-san, bye-bye Kakashi!" Eiko grinned at her son as Sakumo placed, a gentle kiss on his son's already fluffy, white head of hair, before they turned to leave; Kakashi, apparently aware of what was happening to some degree, made a small, pitiful murmur – that well expressed his sadness at seeing his parents' departure. Riika hugged him close, but she too worried for both of the dangers they faced on missions._

Riika couldn't help herself as two fat tears escaped and tracked their way, determinedly down her cheeks, she missed Kakashi, she missed her daughter, she almost missed those days of watching her daughter grow up and find a husband in Sakumo. She'd always liked the Hatake, from her earliest memories of him, and as he grew older, she only ever sensed honestly and stability in him as well as the very masculine sense of security, qualities all too rarely found in men, even back in those days; she'd never been happier to welcome Sakumo into her family.

And she had been fool enough to leave in the first place, when he and his son needed her the most… no wonder Sakumo never forgave her.

 

* * *

 

He could tell by the set of her walk as she slammed her way into the hall that she wasn't happy, long before she got close enough for Wazishi to see her face, but there was something cold and sly in her temper, something he didn't like one bit.

"Have you any idea what's happened over the past twenty-four hours?" She demanded and he merely pursed his lips in response as she stepped right up to him, invading his personal space, "You nin  _didn't_ reach Konoha… in fact, they didn't even bother going anywhere near it! Do you want to tell me where they went instead?"

"I wouldn't know, Kazuko-sama," His voice was one of a resigned man,

"They went North, more towards Yu no kuni, where there were a number of Kumo forces, tracking the Leaf nin they'd been fighting." Wazishi both did and didn't like where she was going with this, "It turns out that your so-called ninja managed to get themselves involved in the fight and they  _dropped_  the vials of virus! On a fucking  _dog_  no less…" Kazuko threw her hands up as she barked a peel of laughter out, Wazishi felt his blood almost run cold at what might happen with the virus loose in the countryside of Fire – though he couldn't deny the trickle of relief at the fact his shinobi had listened to his orders… and not just heard what he'd said.

The elder Whirlpool nin rose to his feet, turning his chin up in defiance of the threatening kuniochi, who narrowed her eyes at the male,

"What are you doing?" Wazishi turned to face the woman, his determination set in his mind, "You've been attacking and threatening my village and my people – and even forcing me to attack and possibly kill an allied village." The elder gripped his staff a little tighter, preparing a strike with it, "And I will not allow it any longer," Kazuko took an utterly incredulous expression upon her face,

" _You_ , old man? Hahah–" Her mocking laughter was cut short by him jamming the pointed tip of his staff into her solar plexus, effectively winding her and knocking her backwards, off the small, raised dais; he wasn't as young any more, much as it pained him to admit it, and it took Wazishi until Kazuko was almost on top of him again until he could mould his chakra to emit a swirling mass of pure fire chakra, that he thrust forwards to meet her halfway, but Kazuko was no half-assed kuniochi.

She'd had already prepared for a counter-strike and her own chakra bristled and crackled at her fingertips throughout her formation of hand seals; before Wazishi could complete his second attack, great electrical field suddenly swarmed around them, and the elder Uzu nin took the brunt of the discharge. It blew him backwards and he slammed into the wall, almost shaking the very foundations of the traditionally constructed building; it took only seconds for the door to bust open, with more Uzu nin and Asiro,

"What the hell? Kenjin-san!"

"Kazuko-sama, what's happening?" They shouted at the same time, whilst all struggling to fit through the door,

"The old man has to die! He's betrayed Kumo and me…we'll dispose of him and his closet followers and turn Uzushio into our stronghold." The kuniochi announced, baring her teeth in an accurate expression of her livid feelings, "You will keep the other Uzushio ninja occupied – this fight is between the old man and I," The kuniochi leapt up and over to the Kenjin-san, using the gravitational force of her landing to drive her heel into the man's chest – he raised his arms to block it, but the force was too great and it left him winded and spluttering.

"Wazishi-sama!"

"Go!" He rasped back, gathering his chakra and pushing himself to his feet, "Defeat these Kumo bastards! They will never take Uzushiogakure!" He turned his attention from the other ninja, who began to battle each other, though they drew away from Wazishi as they knew there were many more Kumo nin in Uzu who would begin to attack the civilians and children were they not there to defend them. They feared for their leader, but knew they had a job and defending their home as a whole was infinitely more important than focussing solely on the single guardian of it. The elderly Whirlpool nin gripped his staff more solidly as though it were a tantō, before he advanced on Kazuko, who looked sceptically on at the old man's ability.

 

Wazishi had to be careful with his timing here, he reached into his hip pouch and drew out a handful of shuriken and kunai, all of which had a number of tags attached to them, some were kibakufuda and others were just scraps of paper with misleading kanji on them. They flapped and fluttered every which way through the air pressures caused and allowed him to dart forwards with his chakra charged staff, almost catching Kazuko off guard as he swung it in what appeared, at first, to be an ill aimed strike, but she had no idea of Wazishi's skill as a shinobi. She paused, unsure what to make of the move, until the pressure wave of the chakra caught up and she was flung backwards not only by the chakra by from the blast of the kibakufuda that she'd deflected, though had detonated simultaneously, he wasted no time in preparing the next attack as Kazuko stood, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth,

"You'll pay for that, you son of a bitch!" She drew out a kunai of her own and darted forwards, her speed and agility too much for a man of Wazishi's age to avoid, and he could only raise his staff to block the attack, she was in the favoured position to strike and her kicks were well aimed, leaving his legs and sides to take a number of punishing blows. He was able to channel enough chakra to force her to let go of his stick, which he could then begin to use offensively, forcing her to dodge before she could complete her attacks. This was a stop-gap measure, though, and Wazishi was all too aware of it, just as he was his tiring muscles; a sudden explosion, mirrored by a scream drew his attention, his concern for his fellow Uzu nin and villagers almost paralysing him – and it proved to be his downfall, Kazuko, unconcerned for who else may be facing difficulty, thrust forward a chakra charged hand to his open side, adding a triumphant,

"Ha!" To her assured victory.

Kazuko's jutsu was far too strong, however, and the great discharge of electricity tore through him, crushing lung and rib and flesh, he crashed to the floor, his one remaining lung beginning to clog with blood and collapse in on itself due to the loss of pressure within his chest. The pain was unbelievable and the old man could no longer deny the eventuality of this fight – his experience was simply no match for her youth and resilience; he strove to catch what little breath he could muster as he could hear Kazuko's laughter behind him,

"Have you had enough, old man?" Her voice was accompanied by the feel of the kunai embedding itself into his calf, he gritted his teeth in silence resistance, but it was too much – he could feel the strength slipping away with each drop of his lifeblood escaping across the sanded wood of the hall; he didn't feel the last, punishing blow Kazuko visited upon him as the Kenjin-san focused on forcing his mouth to move,

"Forgive…me… my dear village, and…Gerimaru," Wazishi wheezed in a whisper of his last breath.

 

* * *

 

"Sakura…?" Kakashi began tentatively as he watched her place her healing hands over Pakkun – the little dog still lying on his side with his breathing laboured and his tongue lolling out of his mouth, her chakra glowed a bright fern green,

"Hold on," She retuned gently, otherwise giving no indication she was aware of anything other than herself and the pug; Kakashi held his tongue, but the taste of panic on it was bitter and alien, unused to it as he was. Only the kuniochi, the Copy Nin and Pakkun remained at the site where the vials had been dropped, Sakura had ordered everyone else away into one of the nearby empty buildings, issuing harsh orders to avoid  _everyone and everything else_ , aside from each other, all of whom had potentially been exposed, until she could see to them. The nincats, all of whom were horrified and offended at the situation, had thankfully agreed to keep a wide berth and pass on the message to everyone else to stay well outside the make-shift two hundred meter perimeter they'd temporarily set up. The virus was not airborne, but that didn't mean it couldn't mutate, or that it was suddenly ineffective.

Kakashi was the most high-risk of becoming infected, after Pakkun, so he'd been the only one allowed to remain close by – although Sakura doubted she'd have been able to get rid of him either way.

"Okay – I'll need your water bottle, Kakashi, I'm going to perform a rough diakodan no jutsu that should allow me to remove the worst of the dose, but I can't make any promises." She warned, though Kakashi responded with his usual swiftness as she formed a few quick seals and managed to pull up the water and encapsulate it around her hand, even though the small neck of the bottle; she placed a hand firmly on Pakkun's neck to keep him still whilst she performed the technique. He whimpered and writhed at the pain the technique caused, though his energy was low and he simply hadn't the strength to fight back; as the kuniochi drew out the virus and water from the other side, holding it long enough to drop back into the water bottle as Kakashi safely sealed it away… Pakkun made no immediate change, but that was to be expected – the rest, for now, was up to him.

"Okay, that's as much as I can do for him right now – he's needs rest and plenty of water to flush his system through, keep him drinking even if he doesn't want to, Kakashi."

"Hai."

"Let me take a quick look at you." She turned to him and gently zipped his flak jacket part way down, her chakra was waning, too and she needed to retain as much as possible to look at everyone else who might have been infected; she rested a hand gently on his chest and closed her eyes. Kakashi watched the kuniochi carefully, noting how tired she looked, but he took a strange comfort in the feel of her palm and warm chakra flowing through – he looked forward to when they could return to Konoha and Kakashi could have some quiet, unpressured time with her. He felt more than heard her deep sigh of relief,

"You're not infected… thank Kami-sama." Her green eyes opened and warm smile drew itself across her face, tugging an equally happy one across the Copy Nin's masked lips,

"Lucky." His joke fell flat and she pulled her hand back and lethargically pushed herself to her feet, he was fractionally quicker and helped to steady the exhausted kuniochi, "You really must rest, you can't tend everyone like this."

"No, if I stop now, some could die, the Kumo nin might event surround us…" She averted her eyes back down to Pakkun, "You stay with him and take care of your ninken, make sure he stays summoned,"

"H… Hai, I'll come and get you in an hour, I don't care what stage you're at, after  _one hour_ , you're going to stop for some rest."

"Fine, thanks," Sakura added with a small, lick of a smile before she turned and walked away, across the open square of the city and towards the make-shift med-centre; the second she walked through the doors – and saw just how many people were – her shoulders slumped almost of their own accord,

"Sakura-san!" Temari was the first to make her presence known, "Thank god! How's Pakkun? How are  _you_?"

"I'm fine, Temari-san, thank you and so is the dog," She looked around further, "How is everyone? Is there anyone obviously showing signs of illness?"

"No, none that I can see," Sakura nodded grimly, partially grateful, partially irritated by Temari's tactful omission of the word ' _yet_ '; Sakura brought up a green-glowing hand and gestured towards the other kuniochi, who nodded and allowed the medic to check to see if she was carrying any virus. The kuniochi carried on in the same method rigorously, so much so that the only reason she had any idea of the hour was because a familiar hand found its way to her shoulder as Kakashi pulled her from her task.

 

"Time for sleep," Were his only words,

"But…"

"Is anyone dying, right this second?" He called out, more to the room, which was met by a low, negative murmur, "So you won't mind if this kuniochi leaves to grab a few hours' sleep?"

"No!" One of the Uzushio nin rebutted, "She's no good half dead, we're fine here and we'll call if there's an emergency – go and rest Sakura, you've done enough for now." She blinked at the other nin as Kakashi pulled her to her feet, keeping an arm around her shoulders,

"She'll be back to tend the rest of you in a couple of hours." The kuniochi slumped slightly into the man beside her as the rush of blood to the head which accompanied her ascent to her feet. Kakashi didn't allow her to pause for any reason until he'd seen her safely to her room and had her laid flat on the bed; he pulled her sandals and pouches off her and dropped a blanket over her, he didn't need to wait long before her eyelids fluttered and she was gone.

The Copy Nin paused for a moment, grateful to watch her, for the first time in weeks, it seemed, unstressed and at peace; but he was interrupted but a sudden knock at the door, he answered it in a second, checking first to see that his kuniochi was still sound asleep,

"Gerimaru?" He queried with some surprise,

"Kakashi, we have to talk, do you have a few minutes?"

"Of course," He stepped out and pulled the door closed behind him, wanting neither Pakkun nor Sakura to be disturbed; he led the Uzushio nin down the corridor to the next unoccupied room, "What is it?"

"What are we going to do about Konoha? I doubt Uzushiogakure gave all their vials to one shinobi, they could well send out another recce team to strike at Konoha."

Kakashi sighed deeply, he'd been so wrapped up in the events of the past few hours that he hadn't given any thought to anything other than Pakkun and Sakura; "We'll round up a team to go to Konoha and advise them of the situation. Go and find Sasuke, Temari and Sai, you four will go to Konoha – bring them all to me here as soon as you can."

"Right," Gerimaru was gone in a moment; Kakashi took advantage of the solitude and pushed up his haitai-ate to rub his eyes stressfully – a part of him told him that he should be the one to go back to the village, but he just couldn't bring himself to leave. The team returned shortly and all looked ready for action,

"First things first, all of you have either been cleared for the virus or have not gone anywhere near the cordoned area, right?" The answer was a unanimous yes, "Excellent, considering the situation, it seems likely that Uzushio might attempt another strike at Konoha, I want all of you to head back there and either divert any secondary attempt made by Whirlpool, and to advise the Leaf on the situation, the virus must  _not_  be allowed to reach Konoha's borders. Sai, what's your chakra level like?"

"Well." He replied cryptically,

"How many ink creatures do you think you can make to scout ahead whilst you travel?"

"Twenty… maybe thirty."

"It'll have to do, I want you to go within the hour, gather all the weapons you need and head out, your priority it getting to Konoha, don't waste too much time scouring every square inch."

"Go it." Temari responded immediately,

"Temari, you'll take the rear position, Sasuke will take point with Sai next and Gerimaru behind him; Sai, you'll be the team leader, dismissed. Sasuke, wait a moment," The Uchiha waited patiently as the others left, "I'm trusting you on this mission, I expect to hear no ill word of your behaviour."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed fleetingly but he still nodded, "I know. How's Sakura?"

"Exhausted, but she'll be all right."

"That's good to hear. Is there anything else you'd like to me to specifically report to Tsunade?"

"No, just my presence here will tell enough until I return to Konoha, which should be only a couple of days behind you."

"Understood."

Kakashi quickly returned to Sakura's room, drawing up a chair beside her, after he'd checked on Pakkun again – the dog was still wheezing a little through his poor state, though his rest looked less disturbed than earlier. The Copy Nin had his book out in front of him though his thoughts were on the situation – his anxiety and turmoil keeping him on edge. Uzushiogakure's…  _occupation_ , was really a troubling thorn in this war, and it left open the door of possibility for things to go so wrong that Kakashi was almost hesitant to consider the eventualities too deeply. His mind was drawn by the murmur of an awakening Sakura,

"Mh… Kakashi?" She sat up slightly, reaching for her water bottle, "What's happening?"

"I've just sent out a team to go to Konoha in case Uzu try to attack again."

"Shit, I hadn't thought about that."

"They're heading out later today and I don't want to leave too long a gap between their arrival to Konoha and ours, how much longer do you think you'll need to finish checking everyone over?"

"Uh… probably another four or five hours just to make sure."

"Good, we'll make our plans to leave by late tomorrow, but you need more rest for now." He couldn't quite help himself from leaning a little closer in, whilst pulling his mask down so that he could press his lips to hers, it remained fairly chaste, conscious as he was of her worn-out state, but the feel of her lips pressed against his was strangely reassuring. He could feel the weight of the worries that had been plaguing him lift and he relaxed into the kiss, allowing himself to focus only on the feel of the woman beneath him, her hand warm on the side of his neck and her presence a deeper comfort than he really wanted to admit to himself.

..

.

 


	31. A Challenge So Personal

 

 

As Gerimaru's foot touched his home soil again for the first time in what felt like  _weeks_  he nearly shivered, able to feel that the familiar place had been radically and permanently changed. He steeled himself into a picture of determination and strength as he walked through the woodland until he reached his home village and surveyed the mass of people working slowly and lethargically,

"Hello," He called, feeling like a stranger having not been there to fight, or even die alongside with his Kenjin-san,

"G-Gerimaru-san?" One of the other nin called, walking towards him,

"Hai, Miru-san, what the current situation? I heard… about Wazishi-sama."

"Yes, the Kumo nin did a lot of collateral damage and attacked quite a few people, though thankfully Kenjin-san's was the only fatality."

"All right, where are the people who're unable to help with the rebuilding?"

"Over this way, Gerimaru-san, I'll show you," They headed over towards the interior of the village as Miru brought him to one of the few still standing buildings,

"Thank you…please redouble your efforts, housing is the primary problem at the moment, I'll be out to help you when I can," Gerimaru was already dreading what state he might find some of the more vulnerable members of his village in; as he entered the small building, one of the elderly men, who'd been close friends with Wazishi, greeted him,

"Gerimaru-kun, I am pleased to see you here."

"I'm pleased to be back, Ahjishi-san; though I had certainly hoped for it to be under better circumstances."

"Hai."

"What's the situation? I'd heard that those who'd suffered attacks had been brought here?"

"You're right, there were a number of physical assaults – and one attempted sexual assault, thought she managed to hurt him pretty badly and ultimately stopped it, it hadn't prevented him from stabbing her, almost fatally, with a number of kunai," Gerimaru had let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding, as soon as he'd been told about those who'd suffered with particular attacks had begun to gnaw at him and he worried that such an umbrella might include those kinds of assaults that disgusted him right to his bones.

"I'm  _relieved_  to hear that things haven't turned out as badly as they could have done."

The elderly man smiled a wrinkly smile, "Wazishi-sama chose well when he decided on you as an apprentice."

"How are they? Is there anything that I can do for them?"

"We have tend the worst of their wounds and all are currently asleep or otherwise resting, I think for now, you should go and help the others with the rebuilding; we'll hold the formal ceremony when the village is ready."

"That won't be necessary, but thank you, Ahjishi-san; I just hope that I can look after this village half as well as Wazishi-sama did."

"I've no doubt you will,"

Gerimaru bowed deeply and politely to the elderly man, "Thank you, Ahjishi-san, I'm certain I will need your help from here on in,"

"I know, and I would be honoured to provide it."

 

Gerimaru turned and left the building, looking for the nearest team working on the recovery process, he felt almost as though he blacked out for a few hours, as he moved and fixed and repaired and healed and helped…it wasn't until it began to get dark and the majority began to slow and paused for dinner and rest. Gerimaru, however, found himself with an almost alien restlessness, he kept on until his hands refused to obey and it began to get the better of his temper; as he watched the sun set over a broken Uzushio, he couldn't deny it any longer –

He'd been avoiding visiting the main hall – and seeing for himself the remains of the battle that had taken place between Wazishi and Kazuko.

He might have looked to others as though he were nothing but a tower of strength, but couldn't help the gnawing, almost childish wish that Wazishi was still around to slap him on the back of his head for his stupidity and tell him what the right thing was to do. He knew, of course, but it felt like it needed some validation – to tell him that he was justified in his feeling, he hesitated for far longer than what he'd normally accept as he stood before the door to the great hall that Wazishi spent much of his time in… including his last moments.

Eventually gathering his nerves, he stepped forwards and pushed open the door to the huge, empty, trashed room; he'd been told that no one had entered or touched the room, the exception being to remove Wazishi's body, but otherwise it was just as it was. The room had been half-collapsed in, a number of the wooden beams crashed onto the chair the Kenjin-san often sat in, as well as covering half the dais, they were dotted around with ominous blood stains and impact spots where the room had struggled to contain the battle – Wazishi-sama had obviously fought well.

For something simply to do, Gerimaru began to pull the planks off the chair and cast them aside, the action to focus on as well as the noise it caused, eased him slightly; as he looked down wondering if he should take a seat, his eyes caught the unusual shape of the vial. His fingers gripped it whilst he brought it closer to him to get a better look, initially disbelieving what his eyes were telling him;

"Wh…that  _bitch!"_ He dramatically whispered to himself, accurately reading the challenge in the left-behind vial of virus on Wazishi's chair.

 

* * *

 

Kakashi and Sakura sighed equal sighs of relief to cross the threshold of their home village, accompanied by the Kaze and Uzu shinobi, all of whom were equally exhausted; the Copy Nin had carried Pakkun all of the way back and he was still in bad shape. For as little as the pug was, he resented being treated like lap dog and hence, he preferred to run where possible, but his contentment to be carried was definitely telling of his physical state. Thankfully, no one other than Pakkun had displayed any symptoms of the virus, so they'd all been allowed to return to the Hidden Leaf – they'd all been met by a vanguard of Leafs a few kilometres out (which had greatly eased Kakashi to see the team had reached their objective and Tsunade had acted without hesitation) who'd told them about the Godaime's measures to accommodate the Sand and Eddy shinobi who'd be temporarily staying.

It was only Kakashi, Sakura, Temari, the ANBU and Hanomaru – the Taichou of the Uzu mission – who reported to the Hokage, who they found buried in paper work and saké bottles, whilst it was only the two Leafs who could tell how stressed she looked, they held their tongues.

"You're finally back… and I'm very glad to see you not too much the worse for wear with everything that's happened." Tsunade's eyes lingered for a moment on the Whirlpool nin, "We've just received word that Kumo ninja had attacked Uzushio… Wazishi-sama has been killed."

"Wh…what?-! No! That can't be!" Hanomaru shouted first, though there was nobody that bit of intel didn't shock,

"Tsunade-sama, are you sure?" Kakashi could almost feel the cold dread claw at him for the thoughts of the lost connection between Uzushio and Konoha - as well as the loss of a man that he ultimately respected;

"Hai; Gerimaru-san had already gone back to Uzushio to assess the damage, Hanomaru-san you and your team may return to join him when you are ready." The Uzu nin merely nodded as he turned to leave the office. The Godaime let him leave before asking the remaining Leaf ninja to report, briefly, on their experiences with the war that she had not already heard. Namely, why in the hell Kakashi was way down at the Abandoned City when he should have been up more towards the Kaminari border.

Tsunade questioned each ninja in some detail, though she knew they were all exhausted and allowed them to leave before too long, issuing orders to see their (detailed) reports inside a week. They murmured their acknowledgement and each went their separate ways, both Sakura and Kakashi content to issue a brief look by way of 'goodbye' before the latter darted away towards his home and the former's attention was garnered by a blonde, over-enthusiastic former-teammate,

"Sakura-chan!" He yelled, squeezing her tight in an almost overwhelming hug before she could escape, "You're back! And Okay! Haha, let's get ramen! I found Sai and Sasuke." He said all at once, leaning back to look at her, though his hands still gripped her upper arms,

"Ah, Naruto, I'm knackered, I really want to get some rest."

"I know, I know – but you've still gotta eat, right? We won't keep you long," He kept one arm gripped, gently around her upper arm whilst he scuttled (and thus dragged the kuniochi after him) towards the  _only_  ramen shop in town: Ichiraku's.

"Ta-da!" Naruto yelled –  _again_  – whilst holding back the half-curtains for the two current dark-haired occupants to both regard her ennui filled glances, though this, of course, ultimately the only reaction one could accurately predict from the chakra-less Uchiha heir and the emotion-less ex-ROOT agent. The latter being the first to muster a more verbalised response,

"Ah, Sakura-hag, I had doubts as to whether you'd be able to join us today."

"Well, Naruto was very... persuasive." The kuniochi rolled her eyes (though not without casting an amused grin at the blonde man she considered a brother, first) as they both took a seat between Sai and Sasuke – the two boys still not getting on particularly amicably,

"So, so, how was it being in Uzushio, Sakura-chan?" Naruto took no notice of the dark haired boys' quiet feuding;

"It was all right, quite like what it was when we were there for the first time." She shrugged as the owner of Ichiraku's put in an appearance, "Ohayo, Teuchi-san, how have you been?"

"Oh! Sakura-san! How lovely to see you again, it's been so long!" He grinned, in his typical, amiable fashion, "And I'm very well, thank you… what'll you be having today?"

"Hmm…the curry flavour with extra pork, please."

"Excellent! Naruto?"

"Large miso with extra  _everything_ , please!"

"Coming right up!"

 

"So Naruto, how was it in Iwa? Did you get to do much fighting?" She asked, already grinning at the expected – and obvious – response from the blonde,

"Wha? Are you kidding Sakura-chan? I was at the front line of everything – and I got to defeat all the bad guys!"

"Haha, you never change, Naruto!"

He grinned again before turning to Sasuke, "So Sasuke-teme, how come you were out at the abandoned city? I thought you were forbidden to leave the village."

"Yea, but Tsunade gave me special permission when Sakura and Sai were forced to leave Uzushio due to the Kumo presence there and I would be able to help due to my knowledge of that far eastern part of Hi no kuni." Sasuke casually explained, only looking back over to Naruto once he'd finished speaking, finding only a scrunched up confused expression on the blonde's face by means of a reply – forcing Sasuke's eyebrows and breath to fall flat,

"Eh? Sakura-chan and Sai were forced to leave Whirlpool?"

"Yea, Naruto, don't you keep up? We went to the abandoned city, with Gerimaru, because we were too threatened by the Kumogakure ninja…speaking of which, have you heard about Wazishi-sama?" Naruto's adorably confused face appeared next and Sakura grimaced slightly at the realisation that she'd be the one to have to tell him, "Naruto… Wazishi-sama was killed when the occupying Kumo nin attempted to force Wazishi-sama to do something he didn't want to."

"Wh… what?" The Uzumaki took the news as badly as was to be expected, his head dropping down, barely even registering the bowl of ramen set in front of him by a reticent Teuchi. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, he's really gone," She reply softly. The entire group ate in silence, no one really wanting to be the once to break the fragile atmosphere, eventually, as Naruto set his bowl of ramen back down, he lifted his head and breathed deep sigh of relief;

"I'll  _definitely_  avenge that old man's death! I'm really sorry he's gone, but I know Gerimaru will be there to look after Uzushio." The blonde spoke, eliciting a knowing, though empathetic grin from the kuniochi (and a small, unseen half-smile from the Uchiha) as the Naruto they both knew and loved returned to the surface, "I'm sad never to see him again, but now isn't the time to grieve… we're all just back from war and finally together again!" He grinned at first, though his smile turned rather sly with the next sentence, "And speaking of which, Sakura, how are you and Kakashi doing?" He asked wickedly, clasping his hands together to make a kissy face at her,

"Shut  _up_ , baka!" She retorted, the suddenness of the question catching her off guard, throwing in a punch at her old teammate's shoulder for good measure, "It's none of your damn business."

"Aww…but Sakura-chan's in  _llooooovvvee!_ " He grinned, "And I wanna hear that Kakashi-sensei's treating you right!" Before the kuniochi could get a word in edgeways, Sasuke butted in,

"Yea, Sakura, did you and Kakashi have an argument at the abandoned city?"

" _WHAT!-?_ " Naruto shouted,

"Yes, that's right, I heard about the…um…lovers' quarrel that Kakashi and the Hag had," Sai chose then, of all times to contribute his opinion,

"Bakas, it's natural to have disagreements, but we sorted it out, everything's fine-and before you ask, Naruto," The kuniochi cut off the queried look on the boy's face, "Kakashi and his team was in the abandoned city because they'd been pushed back by a vanguard of Kumogakure ninja."

"Hmm," Naruto rubbed his chin – in what he no doubt thought was a deep and thoughtful way to act, "So how did you guys make up? Hmm?" His grin was positively perverse, "I hope you had 'fun'!"

"Naruto-no-baka!" The kuniochi yelled, throwing a punch (which she only  _just_  managed to divert the worst of her chakra away from at the last minute) which collided with his excessively blonde skull;

"Ite! Ite!" He whined, clutching at the bruise,

"Look, I never expected you guys to remain out of the loop for long about this… no matter what Kakashi and I had hoped, but for the love of  _god_  can you at least  _try_  and pretend to be tactful?" As expected, she got only blank, unresponsive stares from the boys, "Ugh…nevermind…" She rose to her feet and dropped a couple of coins onto the counter to pay for her ramen;

"Thanks Teuchi-san. I really have to get some sleep so I'll catch up with you guys tomorrow, okay?"

"Oowh…'Kay, bye, Sakura-chan," The jinchurrriki offered cheerfully, though not without his disappointment,

"Sorry Naruto; we'll even go and train tomorrow, okay? By Sasuke, Sai, Teuchi-san," She offered before turning to leave for good, along with a last wave; the remaining members of Team Seven each got up and Naruto mirrored her goodbye-wave, as well as offering a cheerful grin along with; hating the thought of ever letting Sakura be burdened with his sadness,

"…Did you ever meet Wazishi-ojii-san?" Naruto asked the Uchiha suddenly, without taking his eyes of the kuniochi,

"No."

"Then just don't bug her about it," He returned softly, his grief again returning,

"I'm not  _stupid._ " Sasuke returned hotly, though the only response he got was Naruto walking away – though with the parting shot of:-

"Yea, well who  _ran away_  from the village?" Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, though he thought better of it – whilst most might have thought it impossible for the arrogant little Uchiha, he  _did_ understand the concept of empathy, and Naruto looked sadder than he'd ever seen to hear about the old man's death.

 

* * *

 

Kakashi had awoken refreshed and comfortable the next morning, pleased to find himself in his own bed in his own house, after a hot shower and a light breakfast of rice and some fruit, he settled down with a hot pot of tea at one elbow and his favourite volume of Icha Icha. A knock at the door, however, drew his attention before he could allow himself to be consumed in the narrative. Wandering over to the door he slid it open and nearly gasped as he set eyes on a particularly hopefully looking grandmother of his,

"Ri-Riika-san?"

"Oh Kakashi! It's so good to see you again!"

"Right… how come you're here?"

She looked over her shoulder at the two ANBU stood in the clearing, a couple of meters away, "Tsunade granted my request to come and see you as well as the old house – it's been such a long time since I've been here, may I come in?"

"Of course," Kakashi stood aside as he gestured to the ANBU, "Would you mind?" They hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding and darting away into the trees; just as the Iwa nin stepped across the threshold, after the other Leafs had left, a sudden tension filled the air, almost as though a sudden electrical discharge had struck and was dissipating.

"What the…?" Kakashi looked around, uncertain what it meant, since there was next to no electrical wiring in the house he knitted his eyebrows lightly, uncertain of what it meant, his own sensitivity to the lightning (and thus electrical element) meant that he could feel the weakening discharge so keenly, it might as well have stuck his own skin.

"Its probably nothing." Riika responded stiffly, by way of an explanation, her lips pursed into a thin line and she turned to walk into the kitchen, closely followed by Kakashi, he flicked the kettle on for some tea, "How have you been? Tsunade-sama said you'd only just returned from your posting."

"Right, I was up near Kumo, mostly," He took a seat on the opposite side of the table to her, "But I certainly am pleased to be back home again. How on earth are you in Konoha? Did you return with the Leaf nin from their posting there?"

"Yes, I met with Naruto-kun and Genma-san again, I gave them some plans about Iwa's movements and fought with them to defeat Riro – I must say I was glad to kill that sorry excuse for a man!" She affirmed with a triumphant nod, causing a brief grin to tug at Kakashi's lips,

"Well I'm glad you're all right." They lulled into a comfortable silence as Kakashi as he poured them the freshly brewed tea,

"How long have you lived in this house?"

"A couple of months, I'd only become aware of early this year and I found some interesting documents and weapons, would you know anything about them?"

"I might. Sakumo thought it wise not to tell me too much, for as much his safety as mine; what do you want to know?"

"There was one passage that had been written by Umika which talked of ideas about chakra flow – to do with their smoothness and uniformity – and about how the white chakra that Umika had been injected with overrode the wielder's own chakra and regulated it for them. But what I don't really understand, aside from how the metal of the specialist kunai could channel and store the chakra, is how the white chakra could still be so prolific after two further generations." Riika looked, initially, surprised partly at his depth of knowledge and partly at the confusing structure of his 'question';

"You appear to be very well informed, I assume that most of this is due to the information that Eiko and Sakumo saved?"

"Pretty much exclusively." He affirmed,

"Well, the chakra knives were something that Eiko was particularly proud of, her engineering skills were something else – she spent a long time analysing the particulars of his chakra and chakra in general, she discovered that everyone's chakra, in just the same way that it leans towards a nature type, they also move in unique ways – hence, aside from the lowest levels of jutsus, only a tiny fraction of the shinobi population are capable of replicating another's technique."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmm! Eiko was among the top chakra researchers back when it was a popular department within the village – although it was due to the Uchiha's noisiness and her closeness to Sakumo and his white-chakra that meant she felt forced to leave."

"There was a chakra research unit?"

"Yes, it took a lot of resources and shinobi off active duty so it was dropped quickly during the Second War and it was never really re-instated for the risks it carried if it was ever infiltrated, but Eiko carried out her own research; she moulded the metal to essentially be the inverse of how Sakumo's chakra flowed so that it would work in conjunction with the chakra, rather than it to form a barrier that the user cannot send energy through." Riika smiled lightly, "Do you have the knives still? There's a lot more research that Eiko outlined in her more extensive notes she must have hidden in the store, but–"

"Wait, 'store'?"

"Yes. Oh I guess you must not have found it yet – its only a hundred or so feet out, but I'll show you when there's not an, um,  _audience."_  Kakashi nodded as he quickly darted away to gather his knives, "Ooh! These bring back such memories," She grinned, holding one and apparently attempting to send her chakra through it, though nothing happened.

"Ah, I was never compatible with these knives…most people won't be, though you'll doubtlessly find someone who'll be compatible enough to send their chakra through."

"I know," Kakashi answered before he could stop himself, catching Riika's attention,

"Oh?"

"Yeah, when I first found the knives I was practicing with someone and I found out by accident that she could send her chakra through it too."

"Really?" The elderly kuniochi's smile turned somewhat sly, "And just who would this 'she' happen to be?"

"Well, I… uh… I guess…" Kakashi hesitated though the words managed to form quickly enough that they rolled off his tongue before he could really stop them: "I guess she's my girlfriend."

 

..

 

.


	32. To Both Hide And Endure

 

 

 

 

 

The day was sunny and warm, the Copy Ninja had spent the last couple of days before hand pottering around his house (cleaning, tidying and reading, mostly, after the weeks of being left without a human presence to keep it clean, the dust and wild had begun its relentless encroachment back into his home); it was frustrating not being able to go out and look for the so-called 'store' somewhere nearby. But he did understand that he needed to make sure he looked just as normal to the potential eyes that might be watching him after his grandmother's visit – she might have defected to Konoha, but until her allegiance was unequivocal, ANBU would be watching her, and anyone she chose to interact with, very closely. Kakashi, however, had had more than enough of being cooped up in his own home and he decided just to go out and  _look_ , he'd just slipped his sandals on and yanked open his main, wooden  _fusuma_  nearly starting at the fact he found a familiar pink-haired kuniochi at his door, her arm raised, apparently half-way through a knock,

"Uh… hi, Kakashi." She began, opening her fist to form a small wave,

"Ah! Sakura, how unexpected," He mentally slapped a hand to his forehead for sounding so awkward – he hadn't meant to, but he'd just got himself on a mission and now one of the few people he couldn't just tell to leave had shown up; as much as he wanted to see her, he had a treasure hunt to go on, too.

"Sorry, were you just out somewhere? I don't mind…" She took a step back, as though she were preparing to leave but Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder,

"No, Sakura, it's okay – I was just going to do some chakra training." He offered a small smile, "And since your chakra happens to be compatible with mine, do you fancy joining me?" She couldn't help the grin that tugged at her lips, though she chose to ignore the slight innuendo in his words, the kuniochi nodded and turned to step off the porch, though Kakashi remained in the small clearing in front of his house; he fished into his pouch and drew out his curved chakra blades, tossing one to Sakura.

"Charge it with chakra, for now," A thin beam of chakra connected them in seconds and Kakashi took a moment to feel the sensation of her chakra interacting with his – it really was such an intimate sensation – he was glad that the only person who he'd shared this with (or had been able to do so) was Sakura. "All right, let's just spar with these kunai, we'll leave nin, tai and genjutsu out of it for now."

"Hai," They hesitated for a few minutes, neither in too much of a rush to begin fighting again, just after their time on the battlefield; but even so, when they came together with a clash of chakra-sizzling kunai, it was of utter precision and timing. Kakashi found that his gaze most naturally found its way to her eyes, lit up with the glow of chakra – as well as staring right back at him, glinting with playfulness and an unspoken challenge.

The Copy Nin didn't even  _want_  to resist the smile that settled on his lips as they continued strike for strike, the  _chink_  of the metal and  _crackle_  of their opposing, though complimentary chakras as their blades formed the only barrier between them was as curious as it was fun. At times Sakura pushed forwards and almost caught Kakashi off guard, but he was swift to retaliate, just enough to stop her getting the better of him – though he was suddenly conscious of the fact that this was not as such a spar, but rather a game…something they were playing at, and ultimately, was something that they would  _both_ win.

Sakura suddenly span around with a kick, sending his blade skidding off towards the treeline,

"H-Hey, Sakura! I thought I said no taijutsu?"

Her smile was dangerously coy, "Well, yeah, but we were exactly getting anywhere, were we?"

"Hmm," He responded with a playful sort of disapproval, before darting away to fetch his chakra blade, but as he crouched and touched his fingertips touched the metal, he felt a familiar  _zing_  of residual chakra, and his shinobi sense picked up a reciprocal twinge – but it wasn't from his partner blade – it was ahead of him, by about two or three meters,  _the store?_ He daren't linger but it began to weigh on his mind and his curiosity was a child again, bugging him to  _go and see! Go and see! Go and see!_

"What was that?" Sakura's sudden voice startled him into whipping back up straight and spinning around,

"You-what?"

"That little twinge of chakra,I'm sure it wasn't from your blade."

"It was probably nothing," He tried to dismiss, instinctively feeling the need to cover up the lingering secrets that even he didn't know, it was silly, Sakura was among the most trustworthy shinobi he knew, but he just…somehow couldn't fathom letting go of the precious nuggets of information. He looked back over to meet his girlfriend's face – which was schooled exactly in the fashion of near offended disbelief,

"I've known you for too long for you to try and bullshit me, Kakashi," Sakura rolled her eyes,

"Uh…"

She walked towards him, loosening her grip on the chakra kunai, "Kakashi I get it, I don't like it," She grumbled more quietly to herself, "But I know that this house is really important to you, so," She sighed, not really wanting to say it (and still hoping Kakashi wouldn't deny her the juicy, juicy secrets that lay hidden) but instead, his response was merely to close the remaining distance between them, tug down his mask and press his lips to hers. The lingering embers that had been thoroughly stoked during their 'spar' were bought right back and enflamed them quickly – whilst kissing Sakura was normally something thoroughly enjoyable, there was something different, and it wasn't until they broke apart and the Copy Nin once again saw that he was outside, was his mind returned to exactly  _why_ they were outside, as befuddling as her kiss had been.

The kuniochi, too had not missed the change and they both took a moment appreciate what had just happened – and likewise, for just a second, Kakashi couldn't decide what he wanted more, another kiss or to find out family history… As Sakura skipping her tongue over her bottom lip, in a quick, almost instinctive action, Kakashi's decision had been made for him and he allowed himself to ignore his other thoughts, he pulled the kuniochi flush to him and allowed himself simply to revel in the unbridled emotion that had been brought with it. Simple, unrushed and  _comfortable_  pleasure was, perhaps a little depressingly, a stranger to Kakashi and he held no hesitation in allowing it to wash over him; eventually, they broke apart, though their focus remained on each other.

"So what about that store?"

"Wha? Oh, right," He turned around and allowed his hands to slip from Sakura's sides, his right raised to quickly replace his mask, "C'mon then, its over here," Unseen by Kakashi, the kuniochi's eyes widened, as they darted around slightly, unable to control her own instinctive response to such a shocking gesture from the Copy Nin, she opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, unsure if she should mention or not for fear he would change his mind. The man in question looked suddenly over his shoulder, locking eyes with her catching the kuniochi almost off guard,

"I've decided to  _let_  you know… I haven't forgotten," His voice was a little stiff, trite, almost though it had Sakura grinning, well aware that he wasn't lecturing, he was trying to overcome the fact that he was letting her in.

Kakashi stopped in the same place that he had felt the twinge of chakra – and so where he assumed the store must be,

"Help me," He crouched down as he spoke, smoothing his hands over the bare earth and small spikes of grass surrounding, feeling for anything unnatural, unusual, a latch or a lock or even just the grain of lain wood. Even as he searched, though, doubt tickled the back of his mind, knowing that if it could be easy for him to find, then the Uchiha would long have found and plundered such a cache.

"How did you know it was here?" Sakura began, whilst focusing her attention still on the ground beneath her,

"…What do you mean?"

"If you'd known since you'd moved in, surely you would have found it and looked through this store already?"

"…" Kakashi had to admit, there were times Sakura's perceptiveness could get under his skin,

"Was it your grandmother who told you? Didn't she tell you where it was or how to find it?"

"No," They lapsed back into silence again for a few minutes, each continuing their search, though knowing it futile, it seemed more productive to be at least doing  _something_ , "There was definitely a twinge of chakra," She began again, trying to get her brain to analyse the situation more effectively, when it suddenly occurred to her – and Kakashi, too, it seemed: "The chakra knives!"

"-The chakra knives," They spoke in unison, he quickly grabbed them both and charged them, gently at first, with chakra; he focused all his energy but it was just like it was when he first held both the blades in his hands – the residual charge was good for one dose only; "No, there's just not enough to… a doton, maybe?" He wondered, more to himself than anything else, quickly setting aside the knives and began to mould his chakra, to one of his most basic dotons, to simply pick up a good cubic foot of earth,

"Will this set off any traps?" The kuniochi wondered, as Kakashi hedged his bets;

"I'm hoping the chakra compatibility will not trigger any of the larger traps," He chose to ignore the incredulous look that Sakura shot him for that response, "Just trust me," The kuniochi trusted him about many things, but when it came to traps and his rather blazé attitude was one of the few things that did not inspire her confidence in him.

 

Kakashi effected the jutsu as the earth cracked and crumbled, in an instant it looked almost as though there was something underneath the soil that was desperately trying to escape its earthen prison. But just as soon as it reacted, it peeled away and split as though there had now been some mechanism – a faulty one, though, for the earth rose up some four odd feet, but halted; split just enough to allow them to see the exploding tags worked into the earth. Resisting the urge to panic, they both waited for a moment, cringing slightly at the unusually long time it was taking the tags to explode and kill them.

Both shinobi tensed waiting for the smoking kibakufuda to finally blow, though after the ever increasing seconds they began to realise that they might have a chance of escaping, quickly grabbing the tags off of the sides of the risen earth as Kakashi swiftly made a clone to run off with the volatile paper tags – they continued to wait for a few seconds – the Copy Nin particularly waiting for the tell-tale sign that his clone had been blown sky-high, in the meantime, they both continued to excavate the rock. Sakura using her super strength, which meant that it was fully opening much more quickly – the lack of any other kibakufuda meant that as Sakura lifted the cube of rock up and out of the way, the Copy Ninja was met with a curiously enticing sight: a narrow, thick set of steps down into the gloom.

Kakashi stepped first, down the rough, stone steps that lead down into the store; it was as though someone had used a complex doton element to clear the majority of the earth, and then had stones laid to ensure the shape of the steps was retained. There were a good ten or so steps downwards, before the earth gave way to a small room – it was narrow and dark, a room purely for storage, rather than a sort of living; in the encroaching sunlight that seemed greedy for the knowledge that it had seldom been allowed to touch, Kakashi spied a small lamp and was quickly set to burn again with a small fire jutsu; the room then came alive with the final injection of light that seemed to quench the ravenous thirst of the darkness.

There were two large, metal boxes on adjacent walls, both of which were huge – so much so that Sakura could probably curl up in one, with plenty of space to spare – though the boxes were just the beginning; at least seven or eight shelves lined two of the walls, all of which were filled with weapons. On the third wall, there was a large work-bench dotted with various tools and a few scraps of paper.

Kakashi could feel the shiver down his spine in excitement of searching through an analysing all of the potential information.

He stepped further in, allowing his light to greater fill the room – he could see that it extended no more than perhaps five or so meters and, aside from being very densely packed, was exceptionally well organised. There were kunai and small weapons to one wall of shelves, another which held more weapons along the lines of shuriken and the final, left hand wall which contained larger sword and scythe-like weapons. The two metal boxes were opposite each other on the left and right further-most corners of the small room.

The workbench, situated immediately to the right of the entrance, drew Kakashi's attention first and he approached it, he could see the sheets of paper which showed schematics of weapon designed with, what looked like pathways built in, intuitively, he attributed these to allowing the flow of chakra through the metal – still, he looked forward to studying his mother's notes in some detail. He walked further on, towards the box next to the desk, he stepped up to it and felt irresistibly drawn to touching it, drawing his fingers across the top of the box, as he did so, however, he felt a strange tingle run through him, that at first seemed harsh and abrasive but quickly quelled and flowed naturally. Kakashi was, at best, confused by this sudden sensation.

He jerked his hand away from the suddenness, as though he'd received a static shock, at the same time the sharp rasp of the lock springing itself open drew their attentions,

"What was that?"

"I think the metal here has the same chakra-channelling engineering as my weapons." He crouched down to pick up the lock that had fallen, again feeling the faint afterglow of residual chakra, though it was so faint and familiar that he surmised it must have been his own. Teasingly, he lifted the latch of the box and slowly raised the lid, unsure but tantalised by what he might find – and, as nerdy as it seemed, even to himself – he involuntarily grinned at seeing pages and books and scrolls full of writing and notes.

"Kakashi, there's an unbelievable amount of information here – what are you going to do with it? Will you ever allow it to be archived by Konoha?" that was a difficult question and right now, Kakashi had no idea,

"I really don't know, Sakura, I'm certain that it would prove to be invaluable to the Leaf, but…"

"…It's just a bit personal?" She offered, drawing an unseen smile from her boyfriend's lips,

"Right,"

Sakura reached out to pick up one of the closest kunai from the lower shelf, though, just with the Coy Nin's actions, she too felt a queer shiver of chakra run through her hands, it burned slightly and intensified enough to make her drop the kunai to the floor with a slight clang, her left hand jumping to her right to soothe the lingering tingle.

"What's wrong?"

"I felt-there was a  _jolt_  of chakra,"

"What?" He crossed the distance between them in a moment and dropped one of his hands to hers, concerned that she might have been hurt, though his surprise was equal at what had happened,

"I surmised from the residual chakra I can feel in the metal work that it must be some sort of security measure, but if you felt it too and yet hadn't been injured by it, then…"

"Maybe the system's beginning to degrade?" She offered,

"Or maybe you're just that compatible," Kakashi counted, easily, though he hadn't really given so much thought to his words, or their underlying meaning, likewise, Sakura herself had been surprised by his rejoinder – though it brought a giddy warmth to her chest that she tried to quell, aware it might not have been the best thing to think too much about it right at that moment.

 

* * *

 

Sasuke hated this feeling. He continued his slump in wooden chair – he knew it was stupid, childish even, but he just felt so…  _pointless_. After he'd spent so many years only capable of feeling revenge, hurt and  _to only kill Itachi_ , that he found himself truly aimless and lost for what he was supposed to do with himself – and how he was supposed to chase away the gloom, at least, the alien gloom that had him the least motivated he'd ever been in his life. He picked up the small cup of tea that had been in front of him, one he'd been nursing for the better part of his lunch break,

"Sasuke?" His eyes flick up to the owner of the voice, one blonde-haired interrogation Jounin,

"…Ino?" She took the empty seat opposite him and fixed him with a look of unusual scrutiny – something else Sasuke had become unused to since his return to Konoha, "What do you want?"

"How come you're sat here all alone, staring blankly at the same cup of tea?"

He shrugged, "Not like I've ever been a social butterfly."

"True," She conceded, relaxed her posture a little, "But I would have thought you could have at least roped Naruto or Sakura into sitting with you."

"I'm not inclined to force anyone into doing anything."

"…Anymore." The Uchiha's lip twitched slightly, but he resisted the urge to snap back with any number of hurtful comments; though the rather  _stubborn_  coaching by Sakura, Kakashi and Naruto over the past few months had trained how to be a little more considerate; "Still, it's good that you're out and about. What are you up to these days?"

"Helping with the maintenance of the training grounds."

"Sounds like fun, I guess you know where all of the traps and pot-holes are, huh?"

"Perhaps." Sasuke half-answered; Ino's countenance was completely unlike how she'd behaved in the past, it was something of a surprise to him and made him slightly uneasy, "Is there something you wanted, Ino?" Her head cocked slightly, apparently considering how she should answer, the smile on her face was small, but less creepy or hateful than he'd seen on others in the past;

"Just to catch up, I haven't set eyes on you in almost a decade and not spoken to you in more than that… you've always been one of the Leafs Sasuke, whether you like it or not, you  _are_  welcome back here," His fleeting moment of acceptance was crushed before he could even truly recognise it for what it was;

"Not still in love with me, are you?"

She snorted slightly, "Oh please, I was twelve. We all had delusions at twelve we might not be proud of," The pointed look she offered struck a chord,

"…Right."

"I heard you really helped out Sakura during the last conflict, I think it was really good that you had a part to play." Sasuke's response was a sip of his tea whilst he took the opportunity in the quick-to-follow-lull to study the woman in front of him, she really had changed – and most of it was in such subtle ways to do with her countenance and manner that if she had not chosen to sit down and speak with him, he would never have guessed.

"I heard that you…also played a bit part in the war,"

She returned her attention to him at his words, "Yes, I was in Iwa with Naruto – did you hear that Kakashi's grandmother resurfaced?" Sasuke barely had time to blink before she continued, "She's moved back to Konoha now, kinda strange isn't it? I never knew any of my grandparents, but then, maybe I guess it's even for the fact Kakashi didn't really know much of his parents."

"I'm surprised she's still alive," The unimpressed look Ino shot him clear his throat a little for the rather  _impolite_ remark he'd made,

"Whilst I guess Kakashi does look kinda old…" She conceded with a strange, agreeing nod of her head, "Most ninja have children fairly early in life," Their conversation waned again and Sasuke found himself one again at a loss for what to say to continue the conversation and he returned to considering the woman in front of him, her eyes only seemed to connect with his when they were speaking – so far a cry from their younger years.

Their mutual attention was drawn by a familiar laugh from the entranceway, and much to Sasuke's surprise, a rather nervous looking Hinata was being pushed into the shop by a pair of hands on her shoulders – ones that belonged to a large crest of blonde hair, that belonged to a certain teammate.

"Well, Naruto seems to have finally gotten his act together," Ino spoke first, a sly smile on her face, though her eyes didn't leave the couple,

"How long has this been… going on?" Sasuke asked, haltingly,

"Oh, Hinata's always liked Naruto, but he's had his head up his ass for so long he never paid attention, but war changes us all, I guess."

"I guess," Sasuke couldn't seem to keep his eyes off the couple, who looked so happy together as they chatted and wondered about what they were going eat; "I could never imagine Naruto getting a  _girlfriend…_ he's always been so… stupid."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings, besides, Naruto isn't the boy he was, he's changed – more so than anyone I know. He might still have his goofy moments, but he's grown up and arguably one of the most trustworthy ones you'll find in this village." Ino's reply was cool and without embellishment, but it was obvious even to the emotionally beaten Sasuke, of her genuine respect and acknowledgement.

He couldn't deny, either, of the tiniest twinge of jealousy at how much everyone around him had seemed to change and grow and he was stuck still with his lingering feelings of weakness and immaturity.

The flutter of the shop door drew their attention again and Sasuke pinched his eyebrows slightly, sure he recognised the boys who just walked in, but he couldn't seem to put a name to the face. The boy looked over to him and pointed out the Uchiha to his frankly nerdy looking friend, who mirrored (though significantly  _less_  enthusiastically) than his counterpart's surprise – to Sasuke's own shock they walked quickly over to him,

"S-Sasuke, right?" The first boy asked, he nodded, slowly and suspiciously, "Wow! I told you," He directed to his friend, "How long've you been back in the village? I can't believe you're really back!" The boy reminded Sasuke strongly of Naruto,

"…Who are you?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm Sarutobi Konohamaru!" He nearly yelled, obviously full of gumption and self-confidence, "Hey, would you be up for training with us? You could teach us some really cool tricks!" The Uchiha's eyebrows pinched in slightly,

"I don't think so."

"Aww, c'mon! Naruto would help us!"

"I'm not Naruto."

"Nah, of course not, but please? It'd be so cool!"

"I'm not a teacher." It was at this point, Ino chose to butt in,

"Ah, go on Sasuke, maybe being a teacher would be good for you."

He turned his head around slowly to face the cage rattler, "What?"

"Heheh," She giggled, thoroughly amused, "Gotta be better than being a gardener, right?"

"Don't be ridiculous, they'd never allow me to do that."

"You never know…some might say that since you  _know_  what the wrong path is like, you can be the better instructor to teach children the  _right_  path," The flash of near hatred that Sasuke shot her brought her back to her more reasonable senses, "Sorry, but you will faces questions and accusations like that in the future, no matter how unwarranted it might be – Sasuke, there are many of us who believe, who  _know_  that you've paid for your crimes and are a born-again  _Leaf_ , but not everyone is so forgiving." She said and Sasuke dropped his eyes again to his cup of now stone-cold tea, unsure how to respond, but knowing the truth of her words.

"Well I don't care, you know so much about tactics and skills and chakra manipulation, you can teach us the most awesome stuff!" Konohamaru interjected and Sasuke looked warily for a moment between the two, doing his best not to give too much away about his uncertain feelings, both of insecurity and of, strangely, pride at how much the young Sarutobi seemed to believe in him. But he couldn't be more uncertain about having to be in the middle of such a situation.

Why was everyone so insistent in picking on him today?

"I've… got to get back to work," He rose immediately to his feet, missing the grin on Ino's face,

"Just think about it, Sasuke,you might find something you never knew you were missing."

"What are you, a counsellor?"

"I do know how to get inside a man's head." Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned away, catching another glimpse of Naruto and Hinata, sat close together – still laughing and smiling together, looking the picture of contentment and happiness. It was hard not to feel as though his life was somehow…  _missing_  something – the obsession that had once filled his entire existence had long since faded and his maturity had an effect he hadn't really anticipated: at how much his previous ambitions seemed so utterly worthless and just how cravenly they crumbled to dust.

 

* * *

 

Sakura couldn't help the smile as she watched an unusually animated Kakashi in a flurry of paperwork collected from the now re-hidden stores; they'd essentially settled into exploring the great waves of information that had so suddenly been presented to him. He'd ditched his flak jacket as they sat down, but before long even his mask had joined it as they scoured more information and Kakashi got more involved in the mechanics of the weapons and his mother's engineering. After some hours Kakashi had suddenly sprung to his feet and a startling sense of urgency had been taken upon his face,

"Kakashi? What is it?"

"I remember Riika saying something about a chakra sensor within this house, she said it was like a sort of chakra-chromatography," He looked wildly around the room, apparently looking for anything drastically out of the obvious, "She said that they were apparently dotted around the house to keep a record of who'd entered the house, finding some references to it here jogged my memory," Sakura didn't move for the moment, revelling in the opportunity to witness the play of emotion across his face – to see the surprise and vague flash of light inspiration across his handsome face. But as rare – if not near mythical – as the opportunity to watch Kakashi display his emotions openly, it was also, surprisingly, infectious and the kuniochi found herself matching the grin he offered and springing to her feet to help him look.

"What else did Riika say about this 'chakra chromatography'? Did she give any indication for how it might work? Aside from the obvious."

"I'm not sure, I assume it's some sort of material that reacts to the summoning of any sort of chakra within this house," He spoke whilst directing his attention to looking around to the corners of the door, allowing his sensitive finger tips to search for any dents or abnormalities that his eyes might have missed. Sakura looked to the opposite wall, where there were a couple of pictures and calligraphy pieces hung, apparently so innocently, she wondered; her hands reached out to grasp the wooden frame of the first piece and she lifted it clean off the wall; there was nothing but the slight marks that came with years of being devoid of light. Turning the frame over in her hands, there was nothing stuck to the back but she moved on a strange sort of curious instinct, her hands shifting to twist the mechanisms holding the backing board to the frame and so keep the picture in place.

As she lifted the backing board away, the picture slipped, but it was not the movement that caught the kuniochi's eye – rather the brightly and almost chaotically coloured card.

"Kakashi!" She called out in a second as he looked over to her – only now raising an eyebrow as to why she was taking his pictures apart; "They're here, on the reverse of these calligraphy pieces."

"What?" She handed him the frame and the picture of awe that spread on his face, "I wonder who all of these chakra signatures belong to… I wonder if it's stopped collecting?"

"Try it," She returned, "Channel some chakra into it," He picked up the paper and set down the frame, gently leaning it against the wall, as he grasped the paper between his fingers some of his chakra naturally seeped into it and, just as though someone had drawn a laden paint brush across the surface, a silvery, almost metallic grey colour unfurled over the already mottled paper. What was most fascination, however, was the fact that the new colour didn't merely overlay the old tones, but it  _reacted_  to them,  _it changed_ the colours.

The pinks and blues that were previously flaunting the paper, had either been muted to a paler, more pastel version – as with the blue – though with the pink had seemly been enhanced and mutated into an altogether different colour – an intense but curiously sparking  _aubergine_. It seemed to defy all logic of colour theory, but was, perhaps, all the more enchanting for it. Both Sakura and Kakashi met each other's eyes at the same time and equally reflected the awe and utter delight that curiosity had brought them.

"You touch it," He held out the paper to her suddenly, and she looked down to the small, square sheet – unashamedly curious to know what  _other_  colour her chakra could take, now so used to the blue form of her offensive chakra and the mellow green of her medicinal; gripping the page she allowed her unmoulded chakra to steep into the paper.

They both watched as the chakra seemed to take a moment to find its colour, though it flowed gaily through the paper, apparently happy in its new found form, it turns itself out to be a brilliant golden colour – amazingly, it was also one that appeared to sparkle with a metallic quality, just as Kakashi's had. In just the same way, her chakra impacted on the colours already present, they too were changed from the influence of her life energy and the resulting colours ranged from pale green to a more stormy grey; all still with a faint metallic quality.

From where her hand touched the paper, her chakra reached out and quickly connected to where the lingering traces of Kakashi's still remained, the two seemed to intertwine – where previously their chakra had changed the colours, where their two met, they seemed more to mingle but inherently retaining their core identities, only where the very tips of the touching colours changed radically, though the new bronze colour seeped through deeply, it was paler in intensity but it lacked no tenacity, it changed the main body of colour slightly, but undoubtedly so.

Neither Sakura nor Kakashi really knew what to make of what was happening, though the intuition that it wasn't something insignificant resonated strongly.

"Would you mind looking for any more? I need to reference this sheet with whatever's been written." He almost disappeared on the spot in his excitement to discover more, Sakura merely shook her head slightly, happy to continue looking – strangely excited to have the opportunity (carte blanche, as it were) to explore such a mysterious house. She had to admit she felt a touch uneasy about poking around in his bedroom – even if they were dating, she was still conscious of a strong barrier that still existed between them – one that was still a firmly closed door… one that Sakura couldn't tell if it was locked or not. And she wasn't sure if she wanted to test it.

 

The study first, she decided, feeling as though it was a bit less personal; she'd never been in the room before and was struck by how empty it seemed. Sure, it was dominated by the enormous  _tansu_  on the right hand wall and the small desk and  _zabuton_  under the small window directly opposite. In all honesty, it looked as though the man never spent any time in the room. The walls contained three frames of simple, pressed flowers – all of which contained a multitude of different colours, she made a mental not to return to the frames to take a closer look, but for the moment her interest was piqued by the infamously crafty  _tansu_. She opened all of the obvious doors and drawers on the chest, just so that she knew what was there (all right, because she wondered just  _what_  Kakashi might choose to keep in such a place). As she expected, though had hoped against, they were empty, it might have stair-stepped up the wall in a pleasingly progressive architecture it appeared to be the only thing Kakashi used it for – perching Mr. Ukki and his companion plant… whatever its name was.

Her hands fumbled around the sides and what she could reach of the gap between the  _tansu_ and the back wall – nothing immediately made itself present as unusual and she wasn't yet willing to engage her super-strength and simply pick up the damn thing. Instead she turned her attention back to the desk, it was low and the flat of which was made of a single piece of walnut wood – the grain of which was superb. The desk itself had no drawer or shelf of any kind that could hold any paperwork or stationary, though before she could look any further Kakashi drew her attention,

"Sakura! Hold on a sec, don't move anything!" She froze in place, her hands on the edge of the main cupboard door as Kakashi appeared in the entrance way of the hall looking rather intensely at her non-plussed expression,

"What's the panic?"

"The material written here mentions a number of booby traps… good, I was half expecting you to have… uh…"

"To have turned his tansu upside-down and inside-out?" She asked with a small grin,

"Well, yes," He scratched the back of his head and threw in an apologetic smile for good measure, "I think we've searched enough for the moment."

"Ah! But we're only just getting somewhere!" Sakura complained, putting on her best bratty expression, which Kakashi ignored and walked over to her, ruffling the bubblegum pink hair of his Jounin girlfriend in a gesture he knew would normally elicit mild irritation from her, though on this occasion she only offered mild suspicion, "What have you found?"

"Ah, there's nothing, absolutely nothing about how to find the chakra paper, though there are small alludes to its creation, though I reckon they'll be elsewhere in the stores. I think I need to speak to Riika first, though, before I look any further."

"…That sounds nothing like you… haven't inhaled too many fumes from the old papers, have you?"

He frowned slightly, in obvious amusement of her words, "No, it's just getting late and we've already accomplished a lot, how about we call it here for the day?" She nodded slightly, as she took in Kakashi's intended meaning, and stepped forward, expecting him to step back so she could exit the room,

"Oh, sure, I'll leave you in peace, then,"

"No, please don't – we tend to have very little time to spend together in general anyway, so for once instead of spending time  _nearby_ each other, we should be spending some time  _together._ " Kakashi only flicked his eye over to look at her once he'd finished speaking, feeling a bit awkward and silly for speaking the way he was – and, just as he predicted, he was greeted by Sakura's confused-face, with one eyebrow raised,

"You have  _definitely_  been breathing in too many fumes." The kuniochi broke into a grin as she spoke, leaning closer in towards him though Kakashi gladly met her half way in a much anticipated kiss; they kissed a handful of more times, each returning quicker than the last before he began to manoeuvre them out of the study and into a more suitable room.

As he did so, though Kakashi, unusually carelessly, dropped the sheets in his hand to the nearest side as he directed his full attention to the kuniochi he was kissing; the last words on the sheet that had so radically redrawn his attention to the present:

_...of the chromatographic chakra paper._

_~Eiko! Can't you write your notes any faster? I know I'm just back off a mission but do try and have some restraint from throwing yourself at me ^. ~_

_He had to write THAT in the middle of my notes? But I suppose it does seem stupid to waste the already limited time I get with Sakumo, and since we do have a free house and this is the first I've seen of him for well over a month it seems absurd to site here writing when I have a husband in the next room, and nothing planned to interrupt us… these notes can wait._

 

..

 

.


	33. Bonds

 

 

Sakura forced a breathe of relief when she exited the bathroom; she had awoken earlier needing to answer a rather demanding call of nature, though had, at first, resisted it at realising what an unusual – though delightful – position she had awoken to. Unfortunately, her bladder  _didn't_  appreciate the strength in Kakashi's arms, or the way they were squeezing her around the middle and she was forced to get up and leave the warm, comfortable bed. As she padded back down the hall and slid open the shoji, she found said man sat up in bed, bare to the waist scratching his fluffy silver hair;

"There you are, I thought you'd loved me and left me, Sakura," She took a moment to appreciate the  _very fine_  example of the male form that was Kakashi, as he was apparently doing to her – since she'd not bothered to put any clothes on her brief sojourn; he laid himself back and welcomed her to him, having no hesitation (and rather wanting to get out of the cold air) she was beside him in a second, shivering slightly at the sudden juxtaposition of the chill of the air and the warmth of his skin.

He rubbed his hands gently over her back to better chase away the cold, she took a moment to relish the feel of his large hands smoothing over her skin,

"Okay, you were right, we  _definitely_ spend too little time together," She could almost hear his grin in response, he suddenly flipped them over and hovered above her, happily pushing his lips to hers in a kiss of lazy contentment, Sakura wove her hands up into his fuzzy hair as their tongues met. All too soon a sudden  _cough_  halted them and drew their attention; reluctantly parting, they looked over to the door way where a recently recovered Pakkun was stood (with one paw over his eyes),

"What is it?" Kakashi queried shortly,

"Um, you realise there's been someone knocking at the door for the past five minutes, right?"

"Wh, what?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well tell them to go away,"

"I'm not an admin dog!" He whinged,

"And take your paw off your face, you look ridiculous," Kakashi turned back to focus on his girlfriend, but he knew he couldn't ignore what the dog was saying;

"I don't wanna look at your bare butt! I've just recovered Kakashi, you tryin' to make me ill again?" At that, Sakura could no longer resist her snort of laughter, which earned her a playfully sour look from Kakashi; forgetting about the dog still limping out of the room (until he could be sure he wouldn't see anything of his master's that wouldn't be singed into retinas for all eternity) the two shinobi met lips again, hoping that they could, just for a moment, continue to have only each other to focus on. Unfortunately, 'peaceful' was never a word used often in conjunction with 'ninja', for a sudden loud knock and muffled call of,

"Kakashi?" Brought their 'relaxation' to an abrupt and exasperated halt, he shifted himself to roll onto his back next to her,

"I'm sorry, but I think it's my grandmother at the door."

"I thought the voice sounded a bit femin- _what?-!"_  The kuniochi half-yelled as she sat up, incredulous at the timing,

"Well, she did want to meet you."

"You told her about me?" She asked and Kakashi's admiring glances of her uncovered body quickly turned a shade sheepish,

"Um… I might have… let slip that I have a, uh,  _girlfriend_ ," She stared at him for a moment before cocking her head slightly, apparently considering her response,

"Well, I'm strangely flattered by that, but I can't meet your grandmother the, uh,  _morning after!_ What the hell is that?" She spoke incredulously, her panicky expression amusingly adorable,

"Ah, don't worry, we're both grown adults, if we want to sleep in the same bed together then why not? It's not up to her."

"I can feel your chakra, Kakashi-chan! And I know you're not asleep!" Riika's muffled voice called out, unnaturally cheerfully,

"…Fine," The Copy Nin conceded and she got to her feet and quickly grabbed handfuls of her clothes,

"And I can escape out the hall doors?" Sakura whispered,

"And I can feel the chakra of a young woman with you!" Kakashi grinned gleefully,

"Well that answers that." He mused, watching Sakura's shoulder's slump before she walked towards the door,

"I'm still showering first! If I have to meet her, I'm not doing so without at least  _washing_ ," He merely nodded and dressed himself in a second, including extra deodorant to his routine than normally, equally rueing his inability to prepare for such a visit;

"H-hai, Riika-san, just a moment." He spoke out loud as he quickly cleared up his bedroom from anything suspicious and darted towards the door, opening it with a smile she couldn't see,

"Kakashi, had a busy night?" She asked surreptitiously look around him for any sign of his paramour; Riika raised her eyebrows at the three picture frames previously on the wall, now on the floor, apparently getting the wrong impression – said grandson cleared his throat slightly, secretly grateful for the mask for it hid the worst blush he'd sported since he was a teenager,

"She's in the shower and will join us in a few minutes. Tea?"

"Please."

He led her into his kitchen, now remembering all of the sheets of information,

"Oh yes!" He rushed, "I found the store!"

"What?"

"Sakura and I were practicing with the chakra knives and a residual charge caught my attention, we found and uncovered the store – and I found a lot of information! Kami-sama, there's so much there it'll take  _years_  to read!" He couldn't help but grin, turning back to his grandmother, who held a matching smile,

"Yea, I swear Eiko used to write with both hands to get so much done," Kakashi's attention was suddenly drawn by the appearance of Sakura in the doorway, bizarre as it was to see her with such a nervous expression,

"Oh, Sakura, come in," He greeting, eager to set her at ease as quickly as possible, "This is my grandmother Urushima Riika, and this is Haruno Sakura," The elder woman turned towards the younger and they both bowed to each other, the elder obviously not shy of appraising the younger,

"Well, sit down; Kakashi, I thought you said you'd be making tea?" Riika asked, stepping aside to allow Sakura to take a seat on one of the zabuton, "That's a very unusual hair colour, Haruno-san."

"Yes, it's from my father's side, but please, call me Sakura, Urushima-san,"

"And you may call me Riika." She smiled, "How long have you known Kakashi?"

"Um, for a long time, actually, about ten years," The kuniochi couldn't help but flick her eyes over to said man as he met her gaze, both immediately deciding to, uh,  _skip over_  their prior history as teacher and student, Riika gave no immediate indication at the apparent anomaly for a girl in her mid-twenties to have known a man in his mid-thirties for over a decade without an explanation,

"So what sort of ninja-skills do you specialise in?"

"I'm a medical ninja."

"I see."

"Sakura was taught personally by Tsunade-sama and is widely accepted to be second in her field only to said Hokage." Kakashi chose then to butt-in as he set down a pot and three cups of tea before taking a seat beside the pink-haired kuniochi,

"Kakashi!" She hissed slightly, downright embarrassed to hear his speak of her in such terms… especially in such  _unquantified_  company. Kakashi quickly redirected the attention again, starting the conversation off about the chromatography paper, pouring out the sufficiently steeped tea simultaneously. They talked for a short while until Sakura felt that there was a natural lull, both in conversation and in beverage partaking, when she rose to her feet unable to remain in such a tension filled environment any longer,

"I think it's time I left, I have to speak to Tsunade-sama today; it was very nice to meet you Riika-san, I'll see you later, Kakashi."

"Goodbye Sakura," The older smiled politely and tipped her head, remaining still as Kakashi walked her to the door,

"I'm sorry for this being so awkward and unexpected." He whispered pulling her a small hug, which she reciprocated,

"I know and I know it's not your fault."

"We'll catch up later." The parted and Sakura breathed a sigh of relief to be free of the tense atmosphere, she darted away into the tree line in seconds and the Copy Nin slid the door closed; he stepped back into the kitchen,

"Young, attractive, intelligent… you have done well for yourself, Kakashi," Riika jibed, with a sly grin at her lips, to which Kakashi grit his teeth and mustered his patience: honestly, this was the  _first_  time that he'd really acknowledged that his grandmother moving back to Konoha was patently a  _bad thing._

 

* * *

 

Ino's words and Konohamaru's urgings had been whirring around inside Sasuke's head for a better part of the past week; he'd dismissed it unapologetically at first, absolutely certain that it was impossible – both from certain objections from the village elders (as well as, no doubt, parents) but also from his distasteful attitude towards the very idea of teaching. But he couldn't help but continue to realise himself observing the Genin teams and the kind of instruction they were getting was… dare he admit it to himself… not a patch on Kakashi's. More and more he found himself watching and listening to the Jounin instructors and what they had to say to the new Genins; and they preached far more than they  _taught_.

Every time Sasuke had to walk through the village, he noticed that the academy building seemed to have sprouted legs and enjoyed playing a very irritating game of hide and seek with him. He never failed to let out a sharp breath of irritation whenever he set eyes on the building, though for once, he seemed to arrive at a bad time – there were tens of parents milling around, apparently waiting for their children to be kicked out for the end of the day. Leaning against a nearby tree, he folded his arms and waited, unsure of what he was really expecting, but he was vaguely curious to see who the academy teachers were and if there were any he recognised.

"They seem to take longer and longer, these days, don't they?"

"Hmm?" Sasuke looked over to the young woman who'd just walked up beside him, unsure how he was supposed to react to such an unusual event,

"They always say the academy finishes at 3pm, but it seems to get later and later…and there just isn't the time to wait about." She said, sounding a little irritated as she looked at her watch.

"Your work doesn't give you time off to come here?"

"Ha!"

"Then can't your husband help you out?" She looked right up at him, their eyes meeting for a moment, before she quickly looked away, her lips pursing slightly,

"He's not, um,  _around_  any longer," As indirect as her answer was, he resisted the urge to push,

"Well, what about you? Are you here to help out your partner? I haven't seen you around here before."

"Huh? Oh, no, of course not. I don't have a child."

"Really? Then why are you here?" She looked at him with guarded suspicion for a moment,

"I'm just waiting for school to finish so that I can talk to the teachers." He covered quickly, hoping it would be enough to divert her train of thought – the very last thing he needed was  _that_  kind of slander against his name.

"Oh, are you thinking about becoming one?"

"…I'm still not sure." He answered at last,

"Well, I think it's a wonderful thing. Wait, I guess you must be ninja, right?"

"…Yes," It was the simplest answer, really,

"Then I guess you've grown tired of missions, right? Always being away from the village?"

"In a manner of speaking,"

"I'm not looking forward to the day Tsutomu goes off on his first big mission."

"It's a big day… but he'll be fine if he has good teachers."

"I guess so –  _if_  he has any teachers, apparently they're a bit short of Genin instructors." Sasuke's eyebrow raised slightly in surprised and interest, "Oh! Here they come, finally!" She reached her hand out to wave at her son, "What's your name, by the way?"

"You don't know who I am?"

The woman frowned slightly, "Please, you might be nice to look at, but you're  _not_  king of the universe."

"Uh, that's not what I meant…" Her unimpressed expression had him change tack, "Sorry, I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

"Well, its nice to meet you, Uchiha-san, I'm Kitajima Naomi," A young boy suddenly jumped right up next to them both with his hands raised in the air,

"Ma!"

"And this is my son, Tsutomu." Sasuke, feeling utterly lost at the prospect of dealing with a child, he offered only a short nod, though the only response he got from the boy was a rather blank, unblinking stare,

"Don't mind him, he's just a bit shy," She dropped a hand to her son's shoulder, and they both responded in unison with a short:

"S'okay-"

"It's okay," Sasuke's and Tsutomu's eyes met again – still unsure what to make of each other as Naomi laughed slightly,

"Well, come on Tomu-kun, I've got to get back to work. Goodbye Uchiha-san, hopefully I'll see you soon, good luck chatting to the academy teachers!" She offered a small wave as she held out her other hand for her son to take; Sasuke nodded slightly, though she couldn't see and replied faintly with his own goodbye.

The very last thing he'd anticipated when stopping here was to end up talking to one of the parents – and for her to have no idea who he was, to not be frightened or on edge or be closed away by unduly prejudiced against him from the off. The sensation was unexpectedly… refreshing and it gave him just the tiniest boost in confidence for maybe, possibly just of the off chance of thinking more about wondering if it was possible for him to become an instructor of some sort.

 

…

 

"He  _what?_ " Tsunade queried half-disbelievingly, "You're sure? Uchiha Sasuke had stated that he's interested in becoming a  _teacher_?" She confirmed with the steely ANBU stood in front of her,

"Hai, Hokage-sama. Of course, I feel that I should point out he was speaking with a young woman at the time, hence I overheard, so it is entirely possible that he was trying to impress her, but…"

"You're right, for him to behave in any way that might get him a girlfriend is even more ridiculous than him wanting to become a teacher." Tsunade sighed heavily for a few minutes, "You haven't reported any unusual behaviour to me  _besides_  this teacher thing and he  _has_  earned a great deal of my trust back, especially after the recent conflict we've had, but it just seems so…  _unusual._ Has anyone said anything to him? Who's he been speaking to?"

"He speaks generally only with Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, 'Sai' and Hatake Kakashi, though last week he did have a prolonged conversation with Yamanaka Ino and Sarutobi Konohamaru," Tsunade raised an eyebrow, "He left the conversation looking rather… perplexed and after that began to hang around the academy building more often."

"Hmm, this is a strange turn, on the one hand I think it would benefit him to have  _something_  of a career back to really motivate him and get him on the right track once and for all, but… I don't know, this just seems somehow convenient, don't you think? It's out of character, almost," The ANBU continued to stand stock still in front of her, "All right, bring him to me first thing tomorrow morning, but before that, have Shizune bring me this week's lottery numbers – I've got to check something first." She spoke with a resigned frown, slumping in her chair as waiting until the ANBU bowed and disappeared before she brought the small saucer of saké to her lips.

 

* * *

 

"Okay, give me the bad news." Sakura said as Kakashi appeared out of the bushes, finding her reading medical scrolls, he remained standing with a hand in his pocket,

"There isn't any, it was just an awkward meeting coupled with timing so bad that would made Naruto proud."

That pulled a grin to her lips, "Well I'll still be strategically avoiding her for a little while."

"I think I will be, too," He crouched down still waiting for her to look at him, and though that was exactly what she did, in apparent surprise, it was Kakashi that found himself caught off-guard, as her eyes met his he could feel a sudden rush of adrenaline and a tension to his chest as he was brought back to the night before,

"...Kakashi?"

"Mind if I join you?" She offered a quick but encouraging smile that Kakashi didn't want to let himself think too much about as he shifted to lounge down beside her, almost too quick to want to hide behind his trusty  _Icha Icha._

 

It took both Sai and Sasuke to hold Naruto down aside all of his scrapping and struggling as he wanted to rush over and punch Kakashi in the gut for his remark about bad timing – he was the king of saving the day at the last minute, damn it!

"Shut up, moron!"

"Why are we even here anyway, Sasuke-teme? Why are you now so interested in them?"

"Don't they look weird though? Like they've had an argument or something?" It took Sasuke a moment to realise that Naruto was no longer struggling to evade his grasp and that there was dead silence, he looked back towards his teammates, realising that they were staring at him like he just turning into a purple pigmy goat that could talk; "What?"

"Sasuke, what the fu–" A sudden loud  _cough_  resonated from behind them and the tree boys turned to find a wild-eyed, stern looking elderly woman, which terrified them;

"Yaahhh!" Behind them, both Kakashi and Sakura look around the source of a suspiciously familiar yell (though they chose instead to disappear off and find an alternate spot rather than get further caught up). The four of them had immediately flattened out to avoid being seen initially, but Riika resumed her her rather guarded stare,

"Who are you three and why are you spying on Kakashi and his girlfriend?" The three shared an odd look between them at the 'girlfriend' she was obviously referring to,

"Um… well… Sasuke-teme made us follow them!" Naruto quickly covered, elbowing said boy,

"I did, I thought they looked a bit… weird." He said,

"Do you know Haruno Sakura well?" Riika asked eyeing Sasuke carefully,

"Yes."

"Tell me about her,"

"Why? Who are you?" Sasuke retorted in a familiar screw-you-authority tone, but Riika chose not to notice,

"Oh, I'm Urushima Riika."

Sasuke merely cocked an eyebrow "And that means what?" He was still unimpressed,

"That I'm Kakashi's grandmother."

"Wha?" The Uchiha looked so genuinely incredulous at her statement that Naruto had to punch him in the ribs to get him to stop staring,

"Baka, don't be so rude!" Riika sighed and instead ignored it, walking straight into the next trap;

"….So you are Kakashi's grandmother? I had heard that you had returned to Konoha. Congratulations of living so long, it's quite an achievement for a ninja." Sai never stayed quiet for  _too_  long (though perhaps he was one of the few people were that was a bad thing). The exasperated look in Riika's eyes faltered as she acknowledged the words of the eighth wonder of the world that was colloquially known as "Sai";

"I-excuse me? Young man, commenting on a woman's age is very bad manners, even if she  _is_  a kuniochi," Sai cocked his head at her before quickly whipping out his notebook and pen,

"Really? That's very useful advice, the book was…  _destroyed_  before I could read that particular piece of information," Sai quickly scribbled down the note before looking up with his creepiest smile to date, "Thank you," Riika pursed her lips together whilst looking the boy over cautiously, apparently unsure of what to make of the stranger. Naruto chose that moment to intervene, slapping Sai on the back,

"Ah! Ahahah, Sai don't be so mean to Kakashi's grandma!"

"About Sakura? How old is she for a start?" Riika cut across, quickly losing patience with the three…  _whatever they were_ ,

"The Hag is 24 years old, the same as Dickless and Stupid here. I am almost twenty five and seven months." Riika nodded slowly at his curious tone and rude names for his fellows, but she had bigger things to worry about,

" _Twenty four?_ "

"Ah, um, Sakura-chan's bit young, I guess…" Naruto rushed to cover for his friend, scratching the back of his head, though Sasuke took his moment to step in,

"I think Sakura is a good match for Kakashi, those two get along the best out of all of us and I think that of all the experiences that they've shared they find it the easiest to relate between them." Riika narrowed her eyes slightly at the dark-haired broody boy,

"So you three were more worried about Kakashi taking advantage of her than the other way around?" The uncanny silence that followed rather expertly told the Urushima that she had found the crux of the matter; the silence pervaded for a few moments more until Sai piped up again,

"If you happened to be Sakura's grandmother instead of Kakashi's would you not feel  _more_  worried? The salvageable portion of the book suggested that parents tend to be much more protective of their female children than they do the male."

"What?"

"Wouldn't you feel more worried if you held a maternal instinct over Sakura dating a man so much older than her? Isn't it generally accepted that females have more to fear from unwanted male sexual attention than the other way around?"

"Uh…" Riika faltered for a moment and Naruto sharply elbowed Sai,

" _Shut up!_  Obaa-chan, he's an idiot, ignore him, but Sakura-chan's really a good girl, she'll take care of Kakashi, you can bet on it!" Naruto chose that moment to use his Lee-taught 'nice-guy pose' much to Sasuke's irritation as he let out a sharp breath, though the Jinchurriki butted in again before he could cover, "And we trust Kakashi-sensei to look after her, better than any other guy."

"You're not helping, either of you – if she disapproves, think of how many teeth Sakura will knock out of you for it!"

"Like that  _does_  help? Kakashi-grandma wouldn't want a tooth-less grandson, would she? Baka!"

"Yo–"

"Enough," Riika cut across, "You seem to care rather a lot for her, how do you know her?"

"We've known Sakura-chan since we were children, she was our teammate through our Genin and Chuunin years."

"I see. You were all on the same team?"

"Yea, this idiot," He gestured to Sasuke with a sour look, "Decided to run off for a few years so we had to go and rescue him, and this weirdo joined us to make the three-man team." Naruto explained, pointing to Sai.

Riika considered his words for a few moment, "So how do you know Kakashi?"

"Um…" Naruto faltered and Sasuke was the first to respond with a small sigh,

"Kakashi was our Genin sensei and their Chuunin team leader." Riika nodded slowly, taking on board what had been said and the gravity of the situation, probably more objectively than the boys ever could; she rose slowly to her feet and turned away from them,

"Thank you boys, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me," None of them felt safe pointing out that they felt as thought they really  _hadn't_ a choice in the first place,

"Uh… Kakashi Obaa-chan, are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you, goodbye" She spoke before disappearing again, leaving the three to wonder slightly, and worry for the rest, at the implications of their words.

 

Kakashi halted for a moment, just as he'd finally given in to temptation and leaned over to kiss his girlfriend, he couldn't help but have his attention pulled away from her,

"What is it?" She whispered, her expression one of dubious caution, eyeing Kakashi's slight frown as though he'd just realised something ominous:

"I just… felt a cold chill…"

 

..

 

.

 


	34. Fortunes Foretold

 

 

 

 

"Tsunade-sama, you wanted to see me?" The Uchiha spoke so passively that it brought the Godaime's attention to a fine point more sharply than anyone else's bored-voice could;

"Yes, I've been hearing reports of you hanging around the academy – care to explain yourself?"

Sasuke took a moment to gather his answer, "I have been considering whether I could become a teacher."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, not sure if she was expecting such candidness or not; "You realised that the only way that could ever happen is with my direct approval…and even then there are no guarantees."

"Of course not."

"There may even be a lash back from the village and parents."

"I understand."

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, "But before that, I need to understand your thinking – how did you suddenly decide this?"

"I was talking with Ino and Konohamaru – they both seemed to think I have things worth teaching and that it would be good for me."

"You've never really been one to listen to what others think." 

"No… but I've learned how to listen back in Konoha, at least a little."

The Godaime cocked her eyebrow slightly, beginning to wonder if it was  _actually_ Uchiha Sasuke stood in front of her. "It's still a rather drastic change of heart after some friends' conjecture."

"What better way is there to train young minds how  _not_  to behave by than one who's taken the wrong road?"

She offered a slow, considerate nod, appreciating his words, "That is a good point," A brief lapse in conversation allowed the two to mull over their thoughts, "I have to say, there are better uses for you than mowing the lawns. I am prepared to consider this Sasuke, you've been doing well so far and have earned a lot of my trust back. Are you  _certain_  about this? If you decide to pursue this, I will not allow you to pull a sudden u-turn – if you're in, you're all in."

"I was 'all-in' the second I started asking questions about Sakura and Naruto."

A small frown flashed over Tsuande's face as Sasuke's words, but she pushed no more, "I'll speak to Iruka and see what he thinks; if he agrees you'll report directly to him, but I'll be listening to his words – if at any time he's not happy with your attitude, aptitude or behaviour, then it will end, no appeals."

Sasuke took a moment, but nodded firmly, "Understood."

"Then dismissed… and no more hanging around the academy, you'll give people the wrong impression." Tsunade waved her hand at him,

"Hai, Tsunade-sama."

As soon as he'd left, Tsunade reached for her saucer, "Of all the things to come out of that boy's mouth," She muttered to herself, rolling her eyes.

 

* * *

 

She darted through the trees, putting as much distance between herself and that hell hole of a hidden village as possible – and that creepy bastard who considered himself its leader-in-the-shadows. Her feet kept snagging on the freshly-sprung early summer foliage, the noise irritated her, but she focused on getting far and fast as possible. Her meeting with him hadn't gone too well, he was irritated at best with how she'd left the situation in Uzu and was even more irritated that the Konoha party hadn't been completely dispatched but had rather, gotten one up on them. Kazuko hated deciduous forest – it was damp, crawling with bugs, noisy and full of disgusting things that knew how to listen – not to mention that it was damn near impossible to hide anything for any length of time. Her mind drifted back to her earlier time in the city-

_It looked worse than Uzu had – war had found it to be sure, but it had never looked quite so desolated, even whilst the factions couldn't decide who was on their side or not. The place was in utter ruins and the Lords were just as much withered, quivering in their boots too scared to make a move. She had been on her way out, glad to be finally leaving the god forsaken place, but one of his aides had caught up and whispered something to her,_

_"The Urushima left with the Konoha lot – she had met with the Hatake about a month previously, too, we think they're working together and that Urushima bitch knows too much. Deal with her."_

Kazuko's mind was brought back to the present as her body suddenly tensed and she slipped on the branch, catching herself before she fell, but every cell in her body felt as though it was tingling – in just the same way as whenever she touched something hot and it took a moment for her body to register the sensation as pain. She stepped back, leaping away to the next branch back as the feeling lessened and dropped away entirely; darting her eyes around to look if there was anything out of place, nothing she could see or sense was out of place except the same sensation whenever she stepped forwards. Carefully, she followed the perimeter, checking where the sensation crept upon her as she went, until she came across a savaged, rotten old tree-trunk; it looked as though someone had torn it apart, down to its centre.

Kazuko wasn't entirely sure why it seemed significant, but it was also where the 'field' or whatever it was dropped away slightly, unsure what it meant, and promising herself she return in the future, when she had less pressing matters to attend to, to find out what on earth was with this part of Fire. But still, her mission was an urgent one and she couldn't afford to linger anymore filing the information away carefully, she darted away and fled ever faster on her path.

Her days were cold and rushed, careful to avoid any and all detection – Konoha ANBU were elite among the elite and evading them could challenge even the toughest of ninja; but Kazuko had spent her life hiding and enduring far away from what most shinobi were used to – she was damned if there wasn't a creature alive she couldn't elude. Still, she grinned as she made her way through the raggedy woodland, the trees were thin and it contained little underbrush, it was more familiar to her, reminiscent of the type of woodland that pervaded over Kaminari no kuni. There were a number of well-worn paths signifying that she must be close to her target, the lateness of the evening was helpful and her advanced henge, which she'd kept activated for the past fifteen kilometres.

The great wall rose suddenly from the trees, and despite its impressive stature, had eluded her sight for some kilometres – the mastery of the native Hi no Kuni civilian craftsmen. Tanzaku Gai was a tucked away little village and it held both secrets and skills that the average mortals could do no more than turn a blind eye to. It was here that her mission truly began.

 

* * *

 

"It's been many years since I've last set eyes on you, eh, Sasuke?" Iruka's grin was honest and simple,

"I suppose so."

"Tsunade-sama has asked me to create a regiment for you to being with. It'll be a while before you can really do any classroom work, but I'm sure you'll find it challenging enough; before we start though, have you any idea what kind of teaching and what age group you'd like to work with?" Sasuke looked around the Jounin lounge as wondered about the possibilities,

"The upper ages and…" His mind drifted back to his own days in the academy, watching all of the simple mistakes others made around him in ninjutsu and senjutsu, particularly a notable, blonde idiot. "Primarily ninja techniques and tactics." Iruka raised an eyebrow but nodded in approval,

"You think Tsunade will allow you to return to full chakra-strength? You don't need it much for teaching the academy students, but you do need to be at least the rank of Chuunin." Sasuke cocked his head at Iruka's words, he hadn't considered the relevance of not yet being a recognised Chuunin; he long ago risen above the need to worry about formal ranks.

"But don't worry," The now Tokubetsu-Jounin rose to his feet and set down his coffee mug, "I'm sure Tsunade-sama will accept that once you've proven your commitment and skill to this path." They lulled into a short silence as they traced their way through the halls and down towards the main portion of the building which held the academy, Iruka easily leading the younger through the winding halls that now looked so small and uncomplicated – though back when he'd been a student it had represented everything that he had to overcome.

"There are still some lessons being conducted here, but I'll show you around a little and I'll give you some preliminary reading to do; you can start proper next Monday and I'll give you the chance to look over things like marking and lesson plans – which you can read up on over this week." Iruka opened a nearby cupboard and plucked out and four, thick books, dumping them into Sasuke's arms, "Once you've finished reading them, there's plenty more in Konoha's library which you can cross reference them with to boost your knowledge – I'll have plenty of mini-tests for you at regular intervals so I'll know what stage you're at, but try not to worry too much about them." Sasuke merely nodded, finding himself looking forwards to having some mental exertion again, worrying about pot-holes and tree-roots wasn't exactly as taxing as he was used to; "Oh and when you're in the library be sure to read as much as you can by Hinmura Takehiko – he was one of founders of the Academy way back during the Second's reign and he widely regarded as the authority on pre-Genin level instruction."

"Hinmura Takehiko?" Sasuke repeated, "Do you have any specific titles?"

"Oh, he practically has a whole section to himself, and he wasn't one for imaginative titles, you'll find your way around no problem." Iruka smiled and the teacher-to-be frowned slightly at the rather vague advice he gave, but Sasuke was sure he'd be able to find something worthwhile.

"U-Uchiha-san? It is you!" A familiar feminine voice drew both males' attentions,

"Naomi?" Sasuke said and she smiled in acknowledgement, her eyes flicking to Iruka, nodding,

"I see you decided to become a teacher after all."

Sasuke, unused to having such a gentle stranger be so familiar with him, he took a moment before validating her assumption, "Uh… yes, I guess I did."

That same honest smile returned as her attention moved to Iruka, "I'm sorry, Umino-sensei, am I early?"

"No, no, Kitajima-san, you're right on time, you can go ahead to my office, second door on the left, I'll be along in a moment." He gestured down the corridor with his signature reassuring smile; as the young woman nodded to both men before walking off, Iruka grinned at Sasuke,

"Well, it seems as though there'll be at least  _one_  parent who'll approve of you teaching her son." Sasuke frowned in momentary confusion, "Her Tsutomu will be moving into the fifth year* at the end of the summer, happy reading, Sasuke – come and see me on Monday and we'll get started," Iruka spoke with a small wave as he turned and walked away towards his office.

 

* * *

 

Sakura sighed as she rubbed her hands over eyes – the dark stuffiness of the archives and the length of time she'd spent in the god-forsaken place had her brain turning to mush. It was as understandable as it was frustrating at just how little research had gone into chakra-analysis over the years – so much so that no one besides Eiko, it seemed, had ever even considered that chakra could be used to form weapons outside of jutsus, or that it might be able to enhance other tools and capabilities.

Why was everyone so afraid of the truth in this damned village?

Tonight would reveal no more secrets and she suspected – much to her agitation – that she needed more information from Kakashi and possibly Riika – and anything she _might_ be able to find in the archives would prove to be flawed, crappy and ultimately useless anyway. Tsunade had been amenable to her accessing the files and archives at any time of her choosing, so long as it was after her shift hours and she didn't make her comings and goings public knowledge.

There were days that it really paid off being the Godaime's runabout for so much of the time. Sakura gathered her effects and ambled out of the dusted basement, her feet dragging under the weight of her unfulfilled quest for knowledge, but as soon as she stepped out from the narrow stair case and onto the pallid corridors the sudden sensation of being  _watched_  overcame her and she span on her heel.

The feeling immediately dissipated and she frowned slightly, rationality knew that any criminal who was that desperate to access such records in Konoha wouldn't have so easily slipped through the defences that protected the archives, but more than that, she knew that the sinister edge it carried was one of her own construction. Her footsteps carried her out to the cool night air, breathing a sigh of relief to be free of the stuffy hallways; the prickly feeling returned again as she turned to look up, finding Kakashi crouched over the edge of the porch frame,

"Ohayo!" He almost sang, brightly, lifting his hands up in a dual-wave,

"It's night time, Kakashi, I know I've been here a while, but really?"

"Aiya, Sakura-chan, you're not in a good mood today?" In the time it had taken for him to speak, he appeared in front of her, the grin still firmly on his face, "What's eating you, pink hair?"

"I can't find what I'm looking for,  _grey_  hair," Her frown was ruined by the fact she tried to overlay it onto a playful expression,

"And what is it you're looking for?"

"Any more information on chakra natures, anything that might help me understand the idea of the chromatography." She spoke with a sigh, pulling her gaze from his to look out at the surrounding, brightly twinkling lights of the hidden village,

"Hmm…" Kakashi suddenly pushed his face right into hers, "Maybe this would help?" His mask was down before she could focus on his actions and pressed his lips to hers, though it remained chaste it still managed to steal her breath away.

He was gone, though, before Sakura could do anything else and was left only with his lingering chuckle on the breeze to quell her confusion; resisted the urge to shout out at him and instead she merely gave chase, pursuing him fiercely and with a thrilling passion that could only come from the hunt. He wasn't hard to get – Kakashi wanted to play too much – but it was just enough to frustrate as she kept catching wisps of silver hair disappearing over a rooftop, or the sight of his deep blue sleeves slipping around a corner. But Sakura pushed harder, suddenly invigorated by the signs of her prey and it wasn't long before she was almost upon him, letting her footsteps betray her movement as her heart pounded with exhilaration as she led him to believe her actions were one thing, when in fact, they were another.

Kakashi darted off into a dark shadow, but prepared she was and a split second passed before she leapt up and onto his back, her arms snapping in a lose cage around his neck, one had leapt up to peel away the mask at his temple,

"You're not trying very hard, Kakashi," The laughter on her breath betrayed her serious tone and with a light press of her lips to the apple of his cheek before disappearing in a  _poof_  of smoke, she was already on the run whilst she assimilated the sensations that her clone had felt, she and Kakashi might now be on intimate terms but the feel of clinging to his broad back and playing with him so chased a delight down her spine she was rapidly getting addicted to.

She focused on her direction, her heart thumping ever faster – if being the predator was a thrill, then being the  _prey_  was ten times the fun; she appeared suddenly on the well-lit central street, there were still plenty of civilians milling around and she slowed her pace to a walk, her eyes subtly scanning the rooftops, it wasn't long before a shadowy Copy Ninja caught her attention – and the deep, dark look in his eye was positively  _primal._

Sakura resisted the shiver, though it fought to escape her control, she was nearing the end of the street and onto the side roads where there were a quarter as many lanterns lit, her nervousness spiked. She knew that whilst Kakashi was a strong man, he would never dream of causing her any injury; she also knew that whilst she could break every bone in his body – and keep him that way - if she were ever so inclined but she would never need to. She  _knew_ that she never had a thing to fear from the Copy Nin but right now, they were locked in a game of instinct and her instincts told her to  _run._

Her inner nature was telling her that she was a rabbit that had piqued the interest of a nearby  _wolf_  that was just as hungry for the chase as he was the prize, as she finally stepped out of the dominating pool of light his voice sounded from somewhere,

"I can hear your heart pounding from here, Sakura, you're not scared of me, are you?"

"Of you? Why would I be scared of you?" She offered a teasing smile,  _exhilarated is more like it_ , her back met a sudden wall and cool brick work was a welcome relief to her heated skin, as his hands slapped against the mortar either side of her head and she couldn't control how her body jumped. He was close enough, now to feel as much as she could hear his own charged breaths.

Kakashi was a man comfortable in his dominance and played it well, though this was a kind of dominance alien for them both to be mixing with, still neither could resist the urge and it seized them chaotically, just as Kakashi's naked lips seized hers and the tension that kept their game dashing forwards, both shattered and exploded, their kiss became the only thing they could focus on and it consumed them both.

Whatever it was they were 'exploring' between each other, it was now so much more than just a tentative curiosity.

 

..

 

.

 

_A/n -_ _*And I can't find out for sure, but I'm going to assume that students study at the Academy for 6 yrs (based on how old they looked /Sasuke looked when he started and assuming that the typical student graduates aged 12) I'm aware there are exceptions to this rule *cough Itachi/Kakashi etc, but this will be the principle that I'll be working on from here on, happy? :)_

_(Oh and the next chapter might surprise, just a tad *wink*)_


	35. Season 2: A Forest Bright, A Fire Dark - Pt 1

 

 

 

"Sora-san, you are of course the most patient and hardworking of our group, you must come with us to Kikyō Castle, your knowledge and passion will make our delving for truths all the more fruitful," The elderly man sang his praises of the young blonde woman, his lips taught in a smile, awaiting the reaction he hoped for;

"I don't know, I've been there lots of times, I'm sure many of the younger apprentices can handle this."

"Oh, of course, Sora-san, but I am getting on in years, I need you to oversee their training to make the transition easier, though that won't be for a while yet, and this visit is not for training, but rather, prayer."

"Ah, Tsimitsu-ue*, I don't know if I could ever do that, I've only been here a few months and I–"

"Calm yourself, Sora-san, even in these few short months you have shown yourself to be an exceptional investigative and intuitive talent; you truly have the gift of god in you,"

She hesitated for a moment, "But I promised my cousin…"

"She knows about your responsibilities, three days, that's all that's needed – you normally love the Castle, and I know that you have a certain fondness for  _anko_  in  _mitarashi_  sauce, hmm?"

She sighed, her deep brown eyes averting in amused irritation as she gave in, "Fine, fine, Tsimitsu-ue, you win, I'll go on the trip,"

"Excellent! I'll go and tell Keiko-san."

Sora rolled her eyes as she watched the old man shuffle off down the stone corridor, just as one of the other young apprentices stepped up beside her,

"He wouldn't stop complaining that you weren't going with us to the castle, made us all feel kinda crappy knowing he wouldn't be that upset about any of us not attending."

"Oh, Isao-san, don't feel like that – we're all here on our personal quests for fulfilment, there will definitely be a time where Tsimitsu-ue will come to depend on you above all others," He offered a sheepish smile from under his bowed head – the poor boy was younger than Sora by about three or four years and a hundred times as shy; he seemed to like her though and they had a pleasantly amiable relationship. Of all the other apprentices that the monastery had taken on during the season, he was the least offensive… in her humble opinion.

"Would you like to help me organise the last of the scrolls before they go into storage?"

"Um, sure," He agreed, a shy smile finding its way to his face; they traced their ways down the corridor, an amiable silence covering them both in what, at the time, seemed to be a moment guided by a spiritual ambiance.

"W-what did Tsimitsu-ue say that this pilgrimage to Kikyō Castle would be about? What knowledge was he seeking?"

"Ah, didn't he mention that we were going to specifically aid Konoha in their recent war?"

"Yes, but I thought that ended months ago,"

"Yes, but Tsimitsu-ue believes that now would be a good time to help with the chakra-restoration of the village as a whole…I don't really understand it much, but apparently they say that there's a wisdom in the ancients' knowledge about chakra that's been lost to today's ninja."

"What does that mean?"

"I have no idea, Isao-san."

"Then what will we be looking for in the scrolls?"

"I guess anything that mentions chakra." Sora shrugged,

"But how will we know what's useful?"

"If it uses a lot of complex words?" The younger boy merely sighed, playfully as they stepped into the small, dingy room filled with scrolls and books, Tsimitsu-ue normally gathered all of his personal scrolls himself, but for any others who were attending on such a trip, they needed to bring their own.

 

* * *

 

Sasuke dropped his books down onto the desk in front of him, startling the students in the front row;

"A new term," He began, "And a new teacher; I am Uchiha Sasuke, you should have all met me before, working with Iruka-sensei. I will be your specialist tactics and ninjutsu sensei for this year; I expect hard work and a desire to learn from you, it doesn't matter how good or how bad you are at something: if you  _want_  to learn it, you  _will_." Sasuke looked around the room at the faces of the young children, some still looked as bored as ever, seeming to be utterly disinterested, but even they found the effort to look up from their doodles; he was amazed, though, at the hope that appeared on the faces of the students who'd really been struggling up to this point. It had never occurred to Sasuke that something could feel so rewarding when he felt like he'd barely begun.

"Sasuke-sensei?"

"Hai?"

"What sort of topics will we be learning?" A young girl in the front row lifted her hand confidently, but spoke with an arrogance above her age;

"Primarily how to sense and mould chakra, how to channel chakra, and form hand seals; for senjutsu we will focus on how to work in three-man teams, how to understand your enemies' fighting styles as well as how to make yourself as valuable to your teammates as possible." He paused for a moment, allowing his words to sink in; the overall expressions of the children which hadn't changed drastically, except for the fact of their seeming much more bored. "Okay, who can tell me a bit about chakra? What is it? Where does it come from? What are its uses?" He began, looking hopefully around the small classroom. It took a few moments, but one or two hands appeared; he nodded to them,

"It's a form of energy that comes from our cells."

"Not bad… anyone else?"

"Also mental and spiritual energy that comes from experience," Another child exclaimed, without even bothering to raise his hand;

"That's right, but please don't shout out. Chakra is a combination of both of these things." Sasuke spoke as he turned to writing on the blackboard behind him, "At the stage you're at now, all of your chakra is coming only from your cells, you haven't had enough experience or training to boost your chakra to the stage were you'll be able to use ninjutsu. Over the course of this year, however, you will learn how to complete four techniques: the bunshin no jutsu [clone technique], the kawarimi no jutsu [body replacement technique], nawanuke no jutsu [rope escape], henge no jutsu [transformation].," He again listed these on the board as he spoke, feeling the unnatural sensation of self-consciousness tickle at the back of his mind as he became very aware that the student's expressions were growing more lethargic and less interested.

 

"Who's heard of these techniques before?" He began, scratching at his mind to remember the tips Iruka had told him,  _smile, be encouraging and always remember – if a child gets a question wrong, don't shoot them down; rephrase the question and give them another chance to get the answer right!_  "It's okay if you haven't, I'm here to teach them to you. In order for us to utilise our chakra, we must do by the use of hand seals, do any of you know about hand seals?" He was met with another stony wall of silence and disinterested faces, three boys on the back row leant over to whisper to each other, one of whom was Tsutomu, Sasuke ignored it for the time being – conscious that if he leapt on it too quickly he might give grounds for his students to pull away.

"Come on, I know some of you come from clans, you must have at least seen your families moving their hands around right before they execute a ninjutsu, right?" He did his best to smile and seem open, but the children suddenly seemed much more wary of him – was his smile really that creepy? The same class that had seemed full of the opportunities mere minutes ago, now seemed more like a scorning Uchiha senior, one that, despite the long years of their being deceased, was still ingrained in his memories, and stood to the fore whenever he found himself less than a hundred percent confident.

It was a rare sensation, but this class nonetheless seemed to have a mysterious power over him: they were just children – so why,  _how_  were they such cruel masters of the mood of the room?

 

* * *

 

"Sasuke-chan!" Riika called out to him, as he walked past her small table, on his way to fetch a soothing pot of green tea, his eyes met hers as he offered a tasteless smile, "What's wrong? You haven't looked this down for months." He offered only a sour smile, not really wanting to face anybody he knew,

"Hello, Riika-san," The elderly Urushima had taken something of a shine to the remaining Uchiha, and never missed an opportunity to chat (or maybe it was to embarrass) the boy. He seemed to accept it, rather begrudgingly, if only because she seemed always to be able to offer exceptionally useful advice. Well, that, and Sasuke seemed to take pleasure in having some new and completely unexpected way with which to annoy Kakashi. His apparent favour with Riika seemed one of the best ways to do it.

Riika, since her return to Konoha, had become almost everyone's grandmother – but had been completely unpredictable to whom she'd be nice to and whom she'd be… well… _distasteful_  of. Still, the young Uchiha, after another few moments of prodding, gave in and took a seat between the two women at the table; he resisted the urge to slump into the seat as he took the weight off his feet, flicking his eyes over to the unfamiliar woman;

"Who's this?"

"I have no idea," Riika responded without missing a beat, only choosing to correct him on his characteristic rudeness in what was an, at best, ad hoc and lackadaisical re-training program; "It was busy in here and I had to sit somewhere, she's very interesting, surprisingly for being a stranger and civilian, she's a monk-in-training from a nearby temple; apparently they're here to help restore the chakra balance to the village."

"How do you propose to do that?" Sasuke questioned intensely, as Sora merely smiled,

"I sense that you are not a man open to the more spiritual side of life, despite having devoted it to training his  _chakra._ "

Sasuke frowned momentarily, caught off guard by a completely unantagonistic rebuttal to his question, "Uh…"

"Haha, Sora, remind me to buy you some tea later; Sasuke, forget it for now, tell me what's bothering you?" The dark haired boy had apparently been just as taken aback by the sudden change in conversation… there were days it shamed him to realise he hadn't fully let go of his childhood ego that loved everyone's attention,

"I just taught my first solo lesson to this year's academy students."

"Oh! I take it went less than stellar?"

"You could say that," He sighed a breath of dissatisfaction, "They just all looked so bored,"

"Well, children are like that, they feed off the emotions of those around them – if you aren't enthusiastic then they won't be."

"She's right, Sasuke-san; children can sense how others feel, even though they can't yet understand why; if you want them to love your subject, then you have to actually show that you love it and  _want_ to teach it to them." Sora added,

"How do I do that?"

Riika merely rolled her eyes at Sasuke's emotionally retarded comment, "Right, I keep forgetting enthusiasm isn't in your dictionary."

A young, long, black haired waitress stepped up to the table, nervously, "Um…is there anything else you'd like to order?" Her eyes darted suspiciously between the three at the table, Sasuke blinked slowly, vaguely recognising the same look on the girl's face as what he remembered adorning Sakura's face most of the time, all those years ago;

"Oh, I'll have another green tea and an  _anko_  dumpling in  _mitarashi_  sauce." Riika said,

"The same," Sora added as the young waitress scribbled furiously on her little notepad, before looking over to Sasuke,

"Nothing for me."

"Hey! Sorry I'm late, Riika!" The sudden sound of the pink-haired kuniochi's voice made the tense waitress spin around, the notepad clutched to her chest as though the shinobi meant to attack her. Sakura paused at the waitress, unsure how to deal with such a reaction from someone who lived and worked in a ninja village.

"Um…" She faltered as the attendant continued to just stare, fear-filled and unmoving; "It's all right, I won't hurt you," She stretched out her hands in front of her, in what was a calming and unthreatening gesture, but even so, it still seemed to take a while before she would even take a breath. "What's your name?"

"Uh…" The dark haired civilian suddenly seemed to relax and smile, uneasily, "S-sorry, you just startled me; I'm Sh-Shimabukuro Suzu,"

"That's alright, Shimabukuro-san, I didn't mean to surprise you," Her smile came more easily the second time around and Suzu relaxed fully,

"Can I get you anything, um…?"

"Haruno Sakura, and just some jasmine tea, thank you."

"Hai, Haruno-san," Suzu slipped aside from Sakura and scuttled away to fetch the orders as the kuniochi blew out her own breath of primed emotion as she stepped around to take the last free seat at the table,

"Phew! As if three amputations and one narcoleptic patient suffering night-terrors wasn't enough today!"

Riika snorted at the pink haired kuniochi's words, rebutting: "Kami-sama, you sound like you need a bit more than just tea, Sakura; saké, perhaps?"

"Ha! I'd love to, but I have to be back on duty in half an hour."

"Aiya! You work too hard, Sakura," Riika waved a short hand in front of herself as though to brush away the need for Sakura's diligence;

"Well, it's not like I have much else to do whilst Kakashi's away on his mission at the moment, but anyway, who are you, if I may ask?" She turned to face the young blonde beside her,

"Oh, I am Sora, I am a monk in training – we're here to help restore the balance of chakra to the village after the recent war – we have all felt the change in the balance of power."

"Ah, yes; it hasn't been easy the past few months and we've all been working non-stop to try and rebuild our trade and trust with the other nations after that time…" Sakura frowned as she thought back to those terrible months she was – essentially – at the mercy of the treacherous Kumo shinobi. Although it was something she'd been completely unaware of at the time, it was something that now, in hindsight, had given her more than the occasional shiver to recall it.

"Yes, we and Tsimsitu-ue desperately want to help Konoha re-gather its chakra energy and its life. It was hard enough after the last war, which we'd desperately hoped would be the last, however unfounded that hope might have been."

Sakura nodded in agreement, "Of course…I'm curious Sora-san, how exactly do you repair that chakra energy?" Suzu returned before the apprentice could explain, and set down the fresh orders, barely making any eye contact – betraying her retained sense of unease. The group barely noticed the waitress, though, as they continued to talk; between them, Sakura and Riika, pulling Sasuke and Sora into their conversations, kept the other two entertained and feeling as though they were not strangers at the table at all.

 

* * *

 

Kakashi hopped between the trees, his toes beginning to numb from the cold of the quickening autumn, summer seemed to have come and gone so swiftly that before the Copy Nin knew it, he was rummaging for his scarf again; the clouds were low and thick with rain – he really hoped he could make it back to his warm home before they'd soak everything in sight. The past few months had utterly flown by – between the increasing missions called for (mainly concerning cleaning-up and calming-down in the villages and countries that had been directly touched by war, as well as the standard espionage and body guarding stuff) he'd also been busier with his personal life than he'd ever experienced in the past.

He found himself spending almost all of his free time with Sakura – they'd even been on a number of dates, it was confusing for them both, at first, unsure how to really behave themselves, but they quickly got the hang of allowing their flirtations to hover just beneath the surface. That said, they still had plenty of less-than-exciting times at one or the other's homes – mostly they were merely just doing their typical chores in the same place, but it was a comfort nonetheless.

He'd slowly learned how to feel ever more comfortable with the kuniochi generally being around, it no longer ground on his nerves to share a living space, or have little things moved around to accommodate little items of Sakura's belongings. Rather, they began to almost blend in, quietly and in their own subtle way so that, more and more he stopped bothering to note what belonged to her and even found himself missing those items whenever she collected them for use on missions.

He really hoped she had made herself comfortable in his home whilst he was away, and that she'd be thoughtful enough to have lit the  _kamado_  [traditional fire used as a stove] to a roaring fire that surprisingly effectively heated the entire house – Kakashi had recently discovered some marvellous engineering on his (probably) maternal side of a series of pipes that ran around the house, under the floor, that seemed to have no other purpose than to keep the house heated when the fire was lit (and yet, delightfully cool in the summer). Mostly, though, he looked forward to finding her, reading her medical scrolls at the  _kotatsu_ , a pot of hot tea at her elbow and a welcoming smile.

Much as she'd found him, on occasion, whenever she was returning from a mission or a particularly long shift at the hospital; it didn't seem weird at all, inviting himself into her apartment, and it was delightfully validated by how happy and at ease she was to find him there. Unlike any other relationship he had in the past - of any sort, whether they were acquaintances, friends or anything more – no one else had ever been able to make him feel so at ease… the feeling perhaps magnified by the fact she already knew so much about him. Ever since that mission, way back the previous year, that lead to him regaining his family house, she'd become the closest person to him that he could remember being alive and fully competent.

At first, coming to terms with this fact has scared him; he hadn't really been sure how to deal with her knowing such facts about him, but apparently, Sakura had never truly realised the power over him she had at that time…or maybe even now, but being the person she was and the diplomatic skills she'd learned from Tsunade, she'd never taken advantage of him. Perhaps, in its own twisted way, that gave yet another positive mark in her favour, buried somewhere in the atriums of his heart.

He slowed to a halt on an upper branch of the tree, he was just close enough to see that the lights were on in his home – a welcoming, pool of light, just subtle enough to know that  _she_   _was home_. Unable to quite resist a smile under his mask, he leapt away from the branch and landed with a soft  _pat_ , he marched forwards over to the porch, still trying to school his expression into one of easy calm, though it wasn't proving easy. As his sandal made contact with the smooth, worn stone of the free step up, his eyes skimmed over the wooden panelling of the  _engawa_ , the tiniest spot of red drew his eye: a dark, hideous spot of crimson blood had his insides freeze in momentary fear and wariness; lifelong shinobi instincts kicked in as he searched around for sings, any signs:

Of more blood. A struggle. Of death.

His keen eye lead him around the side of the house, spot followed spot until they became drops which lead to pools– streams began now to lead him as his pace quickened, his heart pounding as he feared the worst: he turned the final corner, just passing the window of his study, just as he could hear the first drops of rainfall. He drew a kunai and leapt out, ready to face come whatever may.

What came, however, was  _nothing_ like what he'd been anticipating: his grandmother.

Riika, lying in a pool of blood, her chest ripped open and her breaths coming out of her in quick, harsh pants; the rain now falling as bullets, stinging his skull and bare skin – a physical representation to explosive emotional pain.

"Riika!" He exclaimed, skidding to his knees beside her, his hand reaching down to stroke the top of her head, "Wh-what happened? What's going on?"

"Sa…Sak-ra…" She choked out, coughing up droplets of blood, "Fighting…Kaz…ko…"

 

..

 

.

_A/n –_

_*-ue = Old fashioned way of saying 'master'_

_This chap will make more sense with the part 2 ~ and just in case you missed it about 4/5 months have passed since the last chapt (34) of S1 :)_


	36. Season 2: A Forest Bright, A Fire Dark - Pt 2

 

 

 

Sasuke hadn't moved much beyond the bench he'd found at the bottom of the Hokage monument; he hadn't any lessons that day and his night before had been utterly sleepless, the Uchiha trying analyse how he could better engage with his students. Iruka hadn't been much help, he only really said that the first lesson is always the worst and Sasuke couldn't have expected to be perfect right away – teaching takes time to get used to. Sasuke could only frown at that response: what kind of help was that supposed to be? The Uchiha's bad mood seemed immovable and he knew that the only way to tackle it would be to teach his next lesson, but doing that offered cause for greater dread… that he'd rather not admit, even to himself.

The sun was hot, as though making a final show of strength before it submitted to the tilt of the earth and deepening winter, but it only made the young Uchiha bothered and distracted from concentrating on how he was supposed to face a challenge he never had in all his twenty years as a shinobi had ever tackled – he'd always assumed, when younger, that by the time he was at his mid-twenties, he'd have life sorted out. He'd have dealt with Itachi, got his life back on track and maybe even having new clan members to name – despite how far-fetched those initial, immature hopes of those had been – he'd subconsciously clung to them throughout his teens. It gave him something to keep and draw strength from to when all he could see was down, and increasingly blurring contours of those things that had once directed him so strongly.

People had been passing by haphazardly for what had seemed hours, so when footsteps drew close and stopped, he didn't bother to look up; it was only when a familiar voice addressed him directly, that his glance shot up to acknowledge,

"Sasuke-san?"

"N-Naomi-san, what are you doing here?" She merely offered a meek smile as the sensei's eyes were drawn by a small face peeking out from around her waist,

"Tsutomu-kun was telling me about your first lesson yesterday, that you taught by yourself."

"Ah,"  _Here it comes_ , he thought blandly,

"I understand that my son wasn't exactly being a model student," She spoke again, whilst moving to take a seat beside Sasuke, leaving a lightly blushing and rather ashamed-looking Tsutomu to stand by himself in front of the teacher,

"He was all right… no worse than any of the others." His head dropped slightly, unable to keep the dissatisfied feeling from creeping over him again,

"Maybe so, but that was no excuse, he knows how to behave himself and he shouldn't have taken advantage of the fact that it was your first time instructing alone. So he's here to apologise."

"Ah…" Sasuke wanted to tell her that he'd rather the boy didn't, but her solid expression, as she gazed expectantly at her son had the last of his words dying on the tip of his tongue,

"Tsutomu?"

"Um…I'm s-sorry Sasuke-sensei, I shouldn't have talked in class or misbehaved." He spoke mostly to a clump of leaves at the base of the stone bench they were sat on, but raised his eyes, shyly, as he finished his sentence. Sasuke hesitated for a moment, trying to think what Iruka would have said, had he been the one sat there,

"…Thank you for apologising, Tsutomu-kun, that was very grown-up of you; just try a bit harder to focus next time." The shy but relieved smile he got in return for complementing the boy lifted some of Sasuke's own unease,

"Well, now we have that sorted out." Naomi butted in, "How about we go and get some lunch, Tomu-kun?"

"Yea!" He shouted excitedly, punching the air at the apparently unbearable excitement of getting fed,

"Sasuke-san? Would you like to join us? You look a bit lonely,"

"Oh, uh…"

"C'mon Sasuke-sensei."

"Fine," He replied shortly, unwilling to admit to himself how suddenly he felt much better and less daunted for the later lesson; he fell into line beside Naomi as Tsutomu skipped on ahead, chasing a cat that had unfortunately wandered into his attention span. They ambled on in silence for a while, Sasuke wondering if and what he should say to start a conversation;

"I think its great that you were able to become a teacher." Naomi began, her eyes still on her frolicking son ahead, "How long have you been a shinobi?" Sasuke frowned slightly, the question seemed strangely difficult to answer – he'd  _always_  been a ninja, but he guess she meant how long since he'd been at the academy;

"I became a Genin at twelve, so… about twelve years,"

"Wow, that's a long time…had you always wanted to be a teacher?"

"No, it was something I'd never given any thought to until just after I'd come back to the village."

"From a mission?"

"No. I'd… actually been out of the village for most of my shinobi life;" Perhaps he shouldn't make any mention of the whole missing-nin-trying-to-destroy-the-world thing.

"Oh! I guess that explains why I haven't seen you around, I only moved here just after the Fourth War,"

"Oh? Where were you living before?" Safer to talk about her, he supposed,

"In Tea country, not far from the Fire border."

"Why did you move?"

 

She hesitated for a little while, long enough for them to enter the small restaurant, "…I just couldn't stay there any longer." The Uchiha opened his mouth to ask 'why', but a sudden memory of Sakura playfully, though painfully slapping him upside the head for ignoring social convention gave him reason to pause – he (accurately) supposed that Naomi would probably not appreciate his nosiness. They sat at a small table, in the corner of the restaurant, a waitress appearing by their side very quickly, politely asking:

"Would you like to order something to eat?"

"Please," Naomi replied immediately, "Can I have two miso soup,  _yakitori_ [grilled chicken] and a side of fragrant rice; Tsutomu, would you like a meat bun?"

"Yes, yes!" He grinned,

"One of those, too, please," The waitress nodded, smiling, and scribbled down the order,

"Any drinks?"

"A pot of tea, please,"

"Anything for you, um, Uchiha-san?"

"Miso soup, egg-rice and green tea. Thank you," He inwardly frowned at the subdued demeanour of the server, who disappeared quickly after making a note of the orders.

"Are you a regular at this restaurant? The waitress knew you by name." Naomi asked easily,

"Ah…" Sasuke wasn't sure how to really answer that, "I guess, she must have just remembered me," He covered, despite Naomi's mildly suspicious expression,

"I heard that Sasuke-sensei was once a bad ninja who left the village for Oroka-maru," Tsutomu piped up loudly, unaware or uncaring of the impact of his words; the Uchiha could do no more than purse his lips and restrain his urge to – initially – correct the boy's poor attempt to pronounce 'Orochimaru',

"Tsutomu, you shouldn't repeat mindless gossip you hear! Especially when it's something negative about your teacher." She scolded gently to her son, before turning back to said Sensei, "I'm sorry."

"No… it's fine;" He wanted to tell them that it was, in fact, true and that he had been a 'bad' ninja, but his instinct was just to keep his mouth shut – not to ruin the closest thing he'd had to friendship – that he could appreciate – whilst it was still budding;

"Anyway, Sasuke, tell me something about yourself – what do you like to do in your spare time? Do you have any hobbies?"

"Um, I supposed I've always had an appreciation for calligraphy, though I can't say I've had much chance to practise any, only really though what I've seen written on old scrolls or stories."

"Oh! Then you might enjoy some literature I have, I have some wonderful poetry written by Asukai Gayu, Saionji Shōko and quite a few others, they are wonderful works for both their poetic content and exquisite calligraphy, I'm sure you would enjoy them immensely. I keep trying to get Tsutomu to read them, but he's a little bit…  _disinterested._ " Sasuke's eyes flicked to said boy, whose hand was shoving his cheek up into his forehead as he rolled his eyes,

"Boooorr-ing," He muttered, "Just a bunch of old men talking about stupid flowers," Sasuke couldn't quite resist a grin, remembering the same feelings about poetry quite well,

"You know, Tsutomu, there are some things in life that look to be so insignificant, you wouldn't notice if you trod on them, but you might later find that they're the most important thing you could imagine," Naomi smiled lightly, Tsutomu only sighed heavily in a childish dear-Kami-sama-kill-me-now kind of way, though Sasuke's mind couldn't help but turn to thoughts of his teammates and his village.

And how carelessly stomping on them, arrogantly thinking he knew better, had cost him more than he'd imagined he'd even possessed in the first place.

 

* * *

 

Sakura yawned widely, her hand rising lazily to cover her open mouth out of ingrained politeness; her day had been long enough without the boisterous nosiness of Riika, curious and self-asserted stranger and a stubbornly sullen Uchiha. It was only about twenty past five, but already the fact the sky was beginning to darken and the chill in the air had the kuniochi pick up her pace slightly; though Riika was still on her mind and it weighed heavily on her.

Despite her and Kakashi's relationship, Riika seemed to be one factor that Sakura couldn't get around – it was just  _weird_ ; aside from the fact that Sakura couldn't quite help but feel that Riika's friendly façade was more of a means to an end than a genuine like, Sakura didn't appreciate the sensation it gave her of Kakashi being younger than his years. There being a 'parental' figure looming over them both made everything seem so much more restrained and stilted than she would have preferred; whilst Kakashi's agreement on this was a help – it did nothing to resolve the immediate issue.

Thank god at at least Riika lived in her own house.

That said, the kuniochi was still on her way to Kakashi's house to spend her evening, he had been due back at some point yesterday – though he had been doubtlessly delayed – but she hoped that he might put in an appearance this evening. He had been away for well over a month and she missed him dearly. As she hopped from tree branch to tree branch, the light was fading further and for the first time making this short journey to Kakashi's house from the limits of the village, she felt a strange prickle of unease at the back of her neck, long years of taught instinct had her avoid looking around too obviously, but she analysed the sensation and it was neither to do with the cold nor the dark of the woods.

Sakura maintained her pace towards the house, knowing it would give her a central point with which to work from, she disliked this kind of wariness – it wasn't like there was an impending attack, but rather, that there was some set of eyes or other that knew she was alone and just waiting for the time to make their move.

As she reached the house, it was both quiet and dark, she had expected it, despite the rather disappointing revelation; still, she let herself in and, after carefully checking each room for some intruder or other, she lit the  _kamado_  and, whilst it was reaching its full temperature, she drew out a tea set and measured her chakra. The same tetchy feeling that had plagued her since she'd left Konoha's outer walls was still upon her and the longer she lingered in the same place, the more it really bothered her.

Sakura, as she sat in the silence of the house for a moment, heard the unquieted steps upon the engawa and darted over the low table and up to the front door, whilst drawing a kunai, her entire body tensed as the front door slid open – she tensed her muscles and gripped her kunai as the figure stepped over the threshold. Sakura only just managed to stay her hand,

"Holy shit, Riika, you didn't think to knock?"

"Oh!" The older woman's hand jumped to her chest, "I am sorry, Sakura, I was just coming to check on the house when something… didn't quite feel right." Riika slid the door closed behind her as she spoke and Sakura holstered her kunai as she led them back to the kitchen,

"I know what you mean, I felt eyes on me the whole way here – and I'm still feeling a bit on edge;" The younger kuniochi went through the motions of pouring a cup of tea for Riika, but calmed herself and listened for any noise that wasn't being made by the two in the kitchen, Riika accepted the small cup, sharing a look with the other kuniochi as she reached again for her kunai. Moments later, the sound of the tearing rice paper before the glass of the picture opposite their front door shattering and falling from it hanging to the floor had them leaping into action; Sakura's reactions were momentarily faster as she skidded through the broken glass and frame, her kunai meeting the waitress from the tea shop's outstretched one.

 

"Suzu?" Sakura queried, "What the hell?" The – apparently no longer so simple – civilian merely gritted her teeth in response and drove her free fist into Sakura's stomach; the kuniochi was fast enough to tense to protect herself from the worst of the blow, but it still smashed her back against the wall. Suzu aimed for a second strike, but Riika's kick forced the younger to compensate and ignore Sakura for a moment – instead, the waitress darted backwards out of the door, the pink haired kuniochi leapt after her and attacked with her own volley of kicks and punches, effectively halting Suzu's escape, though it was highly debatable whether she was truly attempting escape rather than gain a better vantage point.

Riika stood at the doorway, for the moment observing the vicious taijutsu battle between the two kuniochi – her age and now instinctive wisdom telling her that she was definitely the support in this battle, the worst thing she could do, was get in Sakura's way – despite the slashes and flecks of blood that were beginning to dot Riika's clothing, she felt a strange sort of prideful admiration at a medical kuniochi was clearly so at home in direct combat.

In a blur of pink-tinted movement, Suzu was thrown backwards, sliding to a halt, just outside of the pool of light which the house gave off; Riika's attention was drawn just in time as she turned to find another Suzu crouched over the fallen frame, her had just grabbing in time, the little square of chakra chromatography paper before she jerked backwards just enough to miss the kunai Riika threw, the elder chased after the former, out of the hall doors and – although grumbling slightly about her old bones – up and over the roof to the small patch of clearing behind the house; Riika's chakra took a while longer to mould than she remembered, but her jutsus were still up to scratch as she erected a great wave out of the earth which effectively unbalanced and tripped the enemy kuniochi before she could react,

"So you were after the chromatography paper?" Suzu – apparently, not much of a talker, merely clapped together her hands as she formed a jutsu – Riika tensed cautiously before springing backwards out of the range of what she saw to be a fire jutsu and a sudden great jet of fire blasted out from the enemy kuniochi as Riika tensed her left arm just in time and her wire threaded shuriken that she'd hurled onto a nearby branch and it pulled her safely out of the way of the fire blast.

Riika's long years of shinobi training kicked in, even as she felt her insides lurch uncomfortably at the strains of such a jump, her right arm already had three kibakufuda attached kunai which she shot at Suzu. All three hit their mark, but it was disappointing to see the younger woman a lot less damaged than she had aimed for; Riika began to mould her own chakra again and prepared to form another ninjutsu as she jumped from her hiding place, dodging the kunai that Suzu threw, she managed to get close enough to form the first half of a Suirō no jutsu [water prison technique]. Just as the water had engulfed the right hand side of her body, a sudden figure appeared from Riika's flank – though that wasn't what caught her off guard. It was more the over-sized shuriken that suddenly struck her just under her ribs and ripped upwards to her neck, the jutsu faded from life as quickly as Riika's ability to keep herself upright.

 

She felt the fear before the pain – that she was suddenly incapacitated and her enemy wasn't; but just as Suzu stepped over Riika's coughing and spluttering body holding a kunai to her throat when she herself disappeared in a puff of smoke from another volley of kunai; the elderly kuniochi could just about move her head to the side to see Sakura crouched over Suzu as she drove a kunai into the other's shoulder,

"Riika how bad is it?"

"Sh-it," She choked, "But fight her first…she…has-ha chak- paper."

Sakura answered more to herself, swearing softy as Suzu fought back with a few heavy punches and kicks, Sakura had used a lot of chakra believing her opponent to be the real Suzu, but obviously, as soon as Riika had posed enough of a threat, the clone had disintegrated. Sakura was  _pissed_  at seeing such a proud and self-assured woman in such a state due to a power-hungry, mothball of an enemy kuniochi - something small, insignificant but waiting in the wings to screw someone over at the first opportunity.

Sakura had gotten three good strikes on Suzu, but it wasn't enough and as she chased her again through the trees, although conscious of leaving Riika without aid for too long, the paper was the priority as well as finding out who the woman was and why she'd been posing as a civilian waitress… and doing a very good job of it too. As Sakura predicted, her enemy raced through the trees as though her intention was to run as far and fast as possible. Sakura's trap, however, coiled around her legs and it brought the nin down enough for the Konoha nin to again get another strike; it kicked the kunai out of Suzu's hand as Sakura landed on her, driving her knee into her solar plexus and a fist charged with chakra to her jaw. Whatever jutsu had masking her true identity as it waned and Kazuko appeared in place of Suzu.

"What the fuck? Why were you hiding in our village?" Suzu gritted her teeth instead of answering, doing her best to weave a hand down to her shuriken pouch without Sakura realising, "Speak!" She commanded, but to little avail and Kazuko's hand almost gripped the kunai she was after,

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," A sudden, familiar voice drew both women's attention,

"Kakashi?" Sakura took a moment to register her surprise, "Right on time, huh?" His grin was obvious only to the pink haired kuniochi,

"Of course! But I'm worried about Riika, I can handle this one, if you'd go back and at least stop the bleeding?" Kakashi's tone was more serious, but he did well to keep the heart of his distress away enough not to alert Suzu to what Riika meant to him.

"Of course, but apparently she took one of the chakra chromatography papers from the house – get that back first." He nodded as Sakura darted back over to Riika as Kakashi quickly bound the nin, searching for the scrap of paper he tucked it into his pocket as he turned to face the ANBU nin who landed in front of him,

"Hatake-san, is the situation under control?"

"From my end, I believe so, but Riika was injured and Sakura is tending to her – I wasn't involved in this fight, I only showed up about a minute ago." His hand subconsciously rose to scratch the back of his neck,

"I see," The captain barked a few orders for his team to fan out and search the area, "Take me to Haruno-san, then I'll sweep the house for any–"

"No, that won't be necessary, I'll hear from Sakura what happened, but I can clear the house myself," The ANBU hesitated for a moment, but nodded, they darted back to the house to find Sakura glowing with her green medicinal chakra through the darkness and she fought to save Riika. Kakashi stood by but knew well not to disturb her, after a moment or two, the brilliant energy caused by her chakra waned, her fanned out hair calmed and they were dropped back to the soft, faint light emanating from the house. She sat back, wiping the sweat from her forehead,

"Okay, she's stabilised, but we need to get her back to to Konoha Medical as soon as possible." Sakura said just as the other ANBU reappeared and informed their Captain that the area was secure;

"Understood, we'll take Urushima-san to the hospital."

"I'll go and report to Tsunade – Kakashi, you might have a bit of clearing up to do in the house, sorry about that." Sakura said as she rose to her feet, Kakashi rolled his eyes, but replied amiably,

"Its all right, come and see me when you're done reporting to the Hokage."

"Sure."

 

* * *

 

"Kazuko? You're sure?"

"Yes, she'd been using some sort of masking jutsu to make her appearance different, she was under the guise of Shimakuburo Suzu a waitress at the 'Sweet Chestnuts' tea shop." Tsunade nodded, frowning into her clasped fingers as they held her chin,

"You're sure she just came to attack you? Because you were at Kakashi's house? That doesn't make sense, you and Kazuko had extremely limited interaction in Kumo and she had other, probably more opportune moments to kill you… but even so, why now? That conflict ended months ago, what's changed?"

"I don't know, but-" A sudden rap at the door drew their attentions as Kakashi appeared from behind the wooden frame,

"I apologise for the interruption, Tsunade-sama, may I have a word with you and Sakura alone?" He cast his eyes to Shizune and the lingering ANBU in the room,

"Hai," The Hokage motioned for the other two to leave the room, "What is it Kakashi? I'm aware you just got back from your mission tonight, but…"

"Yes, I imagine Sakura didn't tell you what Kazuko was after?" Tsunade shot a rather intense glare at Sakura for her apparent lie of omission,

"Uh…"

"That's more my fault, Hokage-sama, there are a number of things I found at the house since I moved in which are of a very personal nature but are also rather…intriguing," Kakashi spoke a little awkwardly and Tsunade's only motion to suggest she'd even heard his words was one of her slender eyebrows raising slowly up, "Kazuko attempted to steal this." He held up the square of multi-coloured chakra card, "This is a piece of chakra chromatography paper – it records the natures of chakra that comes into contact with it," Sakura couldn't help but glance at Kakashi for so suddenly revealing a truth about his house she knew had been something he'd almost jealously guarded the secrets off for the better part of a year.

"How does that work?" Tsunade asked, her curiosity obviously piquing as she sat up a little and reached her hand out to take the card, Kakashi stepped forwards and handed it to her,

"I'm not sure how it works, but it seems to absorb a bit of chakra and give off a colour to represent the chakra it's come into contact with; the dark chocolate brown colour I think is Kazuko's." Tsunade nodded as she turned the card around in her hands,

"What about the other colours?"

"The metallic sort gold is Sakura's and silver is mine," The Hokage's eyes flicked to the pair before returning her attention to the card, she channelled some of her own chakra into the card and watched with a unique fascination as a light, almost white-ish blue unfurled over the paper – it was almost hypnotic in the way that it appeared to almost have a mind of it's own. Especially for the fact it didn't just run into the other colours dabbed over the paper, but it seemed to  _interact_  with them - the chocolate washing down to a faint, earthy brown and the metallic colours simmering with a blueish tinge that seemed completely unnatural, almost.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Sakura asked rhetorically,

"Indeed it is… where did this come from? Did you just find it in the house?"

"Yes, but apparently it was created by my mother."

"What?" Tsunade's eyes shot up from the square of paper and directly to Kakashi's single visible one,

"Your mother? What else did she make?"

"Tons; apparently, she was something of an engineer and focused a lot on chakra – she was the creator of my father's chakra tantō." This apparently shocked Tsunade,

"Really? Anything else?"

"A lot of other chakra channeling weapons, but… there's a lot I haven't yet catalogued and I honestly don't want anyone else poking around my house."

 

Tsunade nodded, "I can understand that, but this is an exceptionally valuable tool. Kakashi, I appreciate that this is very personal to you, but if even our enemies are aware of this technology when Konoha isn't, is a big problem. I will have to ask you to allow as many subjects of your mother's to be handed over to research and development, you can choose what, but please think carefully about who else might be out there that can take advantage of this - we've already suffered another war from enemies we had thought were our allies... If it'll make you feel better, I will hand pick the team to look into it will complete discretion and confidence." Kakashi hesitated for a moment, whilst he trusted his Hokage – and a lot of the village – implicitly, there was a massive difference between trusting someone professionally and personally.

"I am well aware, and this attack by Kazuko was what made me come to you about that card in the first place… there is one other thing I can tell you about now, it was something I first became aware of back when we first recaptured Sasuke,"

"That little scrap of paper that incapacitated the Uchiha? That was something of your mother's as well?"

"Yes, I have now found some more information about that."

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched again dangerously; "What kind of information?"

"A little on my mother's technique for creating them and how they work, I can hand over the scroll."

"She produced scrolls on her work?"

"Yes, detailed ones."

"Kakashi, as much as I'd like to punch you in the face for hiding this from me, if you can give me as much information as you can of what you've found, I'll look the other way on how long it's taken you to come up with it."

"Ah, haha," Kakashi's signature I'm-not-really-guilty laugh didn't cut much mustard with the Godaime, but she merely sighed and waved them both away,

"Just bring me something else to analyse along with your mission report in a day or two; I'm glad you're back safely." Her voice was stiff enough that she might as well have begrudged the fact he was still alive and sounded the same,

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Both shinobi left and as soon as they were up upon the rooftops, he gestured for her to follow him back to his house; they were through the trees and away from the lights of Konoha, Sakura piped up - glad to have him to talk to again,

"I'm sorry you had to return to such a mess from your long mission."

"It's all right… aiya, I was really looking forward to seeing you when I saw that the light was on, but nearly had a heart attack when I saw the blood." His eyes drifted over the still stained patches and rips in her clothes, "Did you manage to heal all of your injuries?"

"Yea, aside from being a bit grubby, I'm fine. You know, I'm surprised you suddenly opened up to Tsunade."

"Hmm, well, from the look of the smashed frame and kunai mark in the wall, it looked a lot like Kazuko knew exactly what she was after and where it was."

"Yea, I wonder how long she's been in the village, or how long she's been watching the house?"

"A worrying thought, isn't it?" They landed in the small clearing ahead of Kakashi's home and paused for a moment, "Nevertheless, I'm finally back in Konoha after a long mission, pleased to find you in the village at the same time – makes for a refreshing change, doesn't it?" Sakura nodded, a sly grin finding its way onto her face,

"It does indeed, but you know, I probably shouldn't pester you too much, since you just got back from a mission…" Kakashi didn't waste a moment in whipping his mask down, pulling his girlfriend closer and eagerly meeting her in a long-absent kiss; it easily stole each other's attentions as Sakura's arms found their way around his shoulders and his large hand spanned over her back; it wasn't easy to set aside the endless, yet beneath-the-surface desire that was always there. Trying to put it out of her mind whilst Kakashi had been gone, was tricky, but she knew it had to be done yet whilst he was back here, now and literally within her grasp, she wondered how she'd ever managed it at all.

Kakashi seemed to completely envelope her as he tightened his grip and kissed her more deeply, which Sakura easily matched, almost surprising herself by how desperate she felt to impress upon him how much he'd been missed and just how glad she was to have him back – and from his own return short breaths which barely made it to being the shyest of groans, told her that he felt just the same. It was truly bizarre somehow feeling something that could be both reassuring and electrifying at the same time.

They might know how to be consummate professionals, but it sure did get the in way of their relationship at times. But right now was their time and they weren't planning on wasting any of it.

 

* * *

 

Kazuko slammed down onto the unforgiving earthen floor, her chin smashing into a small, especially pointy rock that jutted out of the floor, cursing slightly, the kuniochi shifted to lie on her side as she did her best to adjust to the chakra suppressant and the rather hefty beating piled on her by the pink-haired girl. Even so, Kazuko couldn't keep the grin off her face, as the Leaf nin had escorted her through the catacomb-like tunnels of Konoha's high security prison, she'd seen a familiar though significantly more gaunt face of one Ashikino Peikou.

Phases one and two had been executed perfectly – but here was where things would begin to get tricky. Peikou was an arrogant man, and although she needed him alive to get what she wanted, he wasn't a man who took kindly to rescuing. Still she knew how to push his buttons and he'd crumble soon enough; after all, how many months had he been stuck in this god forsaken excuse for a prison?

 

..

 

.


	37. Season 2: My Poor, Ugly, Lovely Daughter

 

 

 

_Izuru watched carefully from his position from between the leaves as the young girl skipped jovially along the path, her attention apparently drawn by nothing other than the squirrel that was hopping haltingly in front of her; the child couldn't have been more than about five and her clothes left a lot to be desired. She wore faded dark blue boys' shorts – the hems of which had fallen and were thoroughly frayed – and her t-shirt was sickly green covered in orange and yellow swirls as well as muddy stains which showed she had no compunction about dirt._

_The man moved silently as he readjusted his position to strike, she hesitated for a moment, lifting her eyes to the surrounding foliage, the man halted his movements as the child rose again to full height, allowing the stick she'd been holding (and using to poke a small puddle) to fall to the ground as her sandaled feet widened their stance slightly; Izuru smiled to himself and leapt from his hiding place, he landed two feet away from the child, allowing her a moment or two to react before he aimed a kick towards her._

_The small, grubby child easily managed to raise an arm to block the kick as she returned with her own, wasting barely a second before she followed up with a punch to his chin; the man was faster for both his muscle memory and years of experience as his long arm easily wound around her waist and he pulled her to his side, safely out of range of any of her kicks or punches. Before a further move could be made, however, a sudden voice drew both their attentions,_

_"Are you two fighting?" Riika stood just to the side of the enormous deciduous tree, her arms folded over her chest; both of the faces in front of her turned from surprise to slight guilt,_

_"Ah, hahah! Riika, my dear, of course we're not just 'fighting' –"_

_"It's training!" The young child piped up, an enthusiastic smile jumping to her face at the sight of her mother, despite her still rather undignified position clasped at her father's side,_

_"Right." Izuru nodded in agreement with his only child, Riika sighed and dramatically rolled her eyes,_

_"Well, would it be too much trouble to call you both in for dinner? And maybe a_ bath _?" The elder kunicohi's eyes focused on her daughter who shrank away at the prospect of such a horrible fate, Izuru apparently shared Eiko's feeling as he pulled her around to his chest, grasping her in both his arms and turning away slightly, as if protecting her from something mortifying,_

_"How dare you suggest such a terrible thing!" He cried dramatically as Eiko giggled in delight,_

_"It might be horrifying, but you know our agreement, Eiko, to wash at least_ once  _when we move to the new village."_

_"Aww," Eiko complained with a voice so pathetic it only held it power over long years of perfection,_

_"Hey, it's not so bad – we'll go home and eat dinner, you have your bath, then I'll show you the hand seals to some new jutsu before bed, how about that?"_

_"Yea!" Eiko half-shouted in response, raising her hands above her head, Izuru grinned as he set his daughter back down to walk under her own steam, as they walked over to join Riika; Izuru met his wife with a kiss and a hug before they turned back to walk through the short barrier of trees that lead back onto the main path towards Konoha; Eiko still ran on ahead as Izuru smoothed a hand down her back – a simple, but powerful gesture that his love for his wife was just as much as his daughter._

_For the first time in a long time, Urushima Riika felt utterly safe and secure in their new home of Konohagakure._

 

* * *

 

Kakashi didn't feel any need to hide his yawn as he walked back into his room, pulling his overshirt off and tossing it aside to his loosely assigned corner of the room he'd designated 'laundry'. He reached up to untie his haitai-ate from his head as glanced over at Sakura, already curled up under his shuriken patterned kakebuton [duvet], with a sly smile on her face as she sat up slightly, to watch him undress,

"You know, I don't perform so well under pressure," He began, an easy smile finding it'd way to his face, which was still unobscured by his mask which'd he'd pulled down to brush his teeth before bed and had felt no need to reposition since,

"I thought that was when you performed best, being a world-class ninja and all." She shrugged from her now propped-up position on her elbow, grinning more,

"Well, maybe you have a point – am I being too boring?" He raised an eyebrow as his elbows pulled parallel with his forehead as part of the process of tugging his shirt over his head – he offered his girlfriend a quick, suggestive grin before chucking it over his his laundry corner. Just as moved to sit on the edge of his futon, he found himself looking back over to Sakura, her pale skin illuminated by the lamp-light on his bedside table, even as his hands found and began to wound around the bandages at his shins, he couldn't seem to take his eyes off her.

He might well have already been back in the village for a day, but he still felt as though he hadn't seen her in weeks; Sakura reached out to smooth a hand over his back as he coiled up his bandages and set them aside doing his best to resist his urge to grin like a giddy child at feeling the affection she had for him. He rose again to his feet, unbuttoning his trousers and slipping them off completely, he settled himself under the kakebuton and curled his arms around his girlfriend, he met her lips with own quickly and gladly.

They'd managed to spend an entire, uninterrupted day together – Kakashi writing his report up and Sakura helping him to organise what he would and wouldn't share with Tsunade from his parents' stores; it almost hadn't occurred to Kakashi at just how much time they'd spent together until Sakura started yawning and it was pitch black outside. They'd eaten dinner together and shared a bottle of Saké, the atmosphere easy and relaxed as such that Kakashi had never really known, it would have frightened him if didn't put him so much at ease to be with her in such a setting.

He smoothed his hands gently up her back as he pressed kisses to her shoulder, not entirely sure what felt better – Sakura pressed against him, her hands running over his own bare skin, or how his own hands felt rubbing over her smooth back. He loved the ease and pleasant sleepiness he felt with her, Sakura apparently agreeing as she pressed her lips to his again, it was languid and gentle – telling Kakashi that she still wanted to be around him and hadn't yet tired of his presence. Their relationship was something of a novelty to him, but it had given him an immense sense of security and comfort he's hadn't been aware he'd been missing.

 

* * *

 

_Riika sat on he wooden bench in the centre of the park, lifting her head back to enjoy the warm sun as she finished off the last bite of her lunch; it was a rare moment of peace between managing an independent teenage daughter and her fears for her husband sent on increasingly dangerous missions as his heath deteriorated quicker than he could eat his dinner – war had been galloping ever closer and she knew well that there would not be many opportunities to breath so deeply with out defending from an enemy shuriken again so soon._

_As she looked up to the azure sky, dappled lightly by the many, innocent little clouds drifting past, she heard a young, feminine giggle – it's innocence and joyfulness brought an instinctive smile to the kuniochi's face – as difficult an experience as it had been raising her first and only child, she'd found it to be deceptively rewarding. Eiko, for all of her natural childishness had renewed the same carefree sense and liberation to Riika as she shared in her child's development and experiences; still, the woman blinked for a moment as it suddenly occurred to her that she recognised that specific laughter – and it belonged to the subject of her thoughts: Eiko._

_She sprang up, to look around as she quickly caught a glimpse of her fourteen year old daughter and a young, dark haired boy sat next to her on the grass. Riika darted slightly closer, wanting to steal a glance at the young pair, party curious about what sort of boy the damn-near arrogantly self-assured young woman would choose to associate herself with, as well as said young boy's conduct around Eiko when unaware of being observed by an adult._

_"Give it here, damnit!" The young boy hissed under his breath whilst grabbing for the scroll Eiko was holding high up away from him,_

_"Idiot, what's the point? You know hardly any of the older names for jutsus," Eiko justified herself as she slapped her hand onto the boy's face, effectively shoving him away as she unflipped the scroll in her other hand and turned her attention to it. The boy, frowning, moved himself closer to her looking over her shoulder,_

_"Whoa! This is a really good scroll you stole – it says all about the Sharingan!"_

_"What, what does it say?"_

_"Says something about a Man…gek…kyo sharingan and a Rinne…gan…" She looked back over to the boy a light frown playing on her face; he shook his head slightly, apparently just as ignorant of what it meant. Riika felt herself involuntarily tense as she grasped the implications of what the two had done – having stolen one of the sacred scrolls of the Uchiha and discovered a number of its secrets. There was a very real possibility that there was an Uchiha reporting back on this incident and both Eiko and the boy would turn up dead in the less than twelve hours' time._

 

_"Turn on your sharingan, Teruo, does it say anything else?" The boy frowned as his gifted eyes flashed to life and the three tomoe between them began to twirl, hypnotically. Riika's brain was darting about all over the place as she tried to concoct some means of protecting her daughter; she ignored their words for a little bit as she got up and planned on wandering around to spring out of the bushes upon them. She could tell Eiko that Izuru was back or that there'd been some word on him and she should jump up to follow._

_Surprising herself, she almost didn't care that Eiko had abetted a theft or that she was stealing secrets: she just needed to get her out of the scene of the crime. She leapt out and skidded to a halt in front of the two teens, they hastily stuffed the scroll out of sight, but not nearly quick enough from trained Jounin eyes. The boy's sharingan were even slower to fade and a dead give away as to their dishonest dealings._

_"Eiko! You've got to come with me now – there's been some news on your father." Riika snapped more than she meant to, but it seemed to add an impetus to her words which the girl grasped and hesitated for barely a moment before leaping to her feet and her face finally displaying the shock she'd already registered, Riika darted away as she heard Eiko half-yell a goodbye in passing to her friend and quickly caught up; as the elder lead them back to their apartment, the younger piped up,_

_"Aren't we going to Hokage-sama? Why are we going home?" They landed on the small balcony as she spoke and Riika, not yet bothering to answer, ushered her inside and quickly closed and locked the door,_

_"Eiko, I don't care that you stole a scroll, but you are **not** to discuss with anyone – not even that boy – that you had access to that scroll or what you read in it. Understand?" Eiko's eyes darted to the side momentarily,_

_"But what about Otou-san [father]?"_

_"I lied, he's still on a recon mission, you know there'd be no word." Riika dismissed,_

_"Wh-what?"_

_"I overheard you talking about that scroll…for the love of Kami-sama, Eiko, how can you be so stupid?" Riika snarled with greater venom that she'd ever used on her daughter who – despite being in the full of the arrogance of youth – was still a deceptively sensitive child, and easily responded to the depth of her mother's vehemence,_

_"I…I didn't…"_

_"Don't deny it, I heard you and I saw you. Eiko you don't grasp how serious this is – if the Uchiha realise you had any involvement whatsoever they will kill you. You've unearthed some of their deepest and most jealously guarded secrets – the Uchiha are ruthless in their protection of them. You will be killed if they even_ think _you know something to do with that scroll!" Eiko took half a step back as Riika spat as loudly as she dared, "If any Uchiha approach you, Eiko, you are to behave completely as normal! Do not give any indication that you've done something wrong! They will even try to kill you if you even_ look _suspicious. Got it?"_

_"Wh…I don't…"_

_"Eiko, I know you aren't this stupid – tell me that you understand what I've just told you."_

_"Yes, I do, but…"_

_"You cannot ever reveal this information to anybody – not Otou-san, not that boy you were with or Kim-sensei. No one, **ever**!" Riika took a deep breath, her anger and fear having subsided long enough for her common sense to return, "I can't over-emphasise how desperate this situation is – anyone could have seen or heard you out there in such a public place – like I did… I just happened to be in the vicinity and over heard you. Eiko, please, promise me you will keep everything about what you've seen in that scroll to yourself! Don't tell me, don't tell anyone!" Riika had no idea what kind of desperate expression was on her face, but it must have been truly severe for Eiko to look so taken aback,  
_

_"I…I won't, Okaa-san, I won't say anything."_

_"Thank Kami-sama," Riika flung her arms around her daughter's shoulders, "I'm terrified, Eiko, you've put yourself in so much danger! Just… please, don't even talk to that boy – what was his name? Teru? Don't even speak to him for the next day or so, but when you see him next, make sure he understands how dangerous it is for you both, okay?" Riika spoke into her daughter's hair more than anything, but the weak nod she received in response was enough for Riika to be sure her only child had understood the danger._

_Even now, the Uchiha were obviously restless – they were moody and bordered on blatant disrespect for a fresh Sandime – something was brewing deep within the Uchiha clan. It was a sort of discontent, a restlessness that just didn't quite fit in with the heart of what Konoha was. Riika's intuition gnawed at her, but she still couldn't see, or even guess, at what might be lying in wait down the road for the infamous red-eyed clan forged deep in war._

 

* * *

 

"She's still under?" Sakura asked, her eyes focused on the stressed-looking comatose Riika,

"Yea, her body seems fine – aside from the wounds that are still healing – I can't quite explain it. Aside from her age, maybe it was just too much." Tsunade shrugged from her position leaning against the door frame, Sakura shook her head, not taking her eyes off the elderly woman,

"No, Riika's not that weak and if it had really been too much, she'd be dead."

Unbeknownst to the young kuniochi, her mentor smiled wryly. "You know, given how much you still bitch to me about her interfering with your life and your relationship with her  _grandson_ , you seem to have a strange respect for her." That was all it took for Sakura to whip her head around to half glare at the current Hokage, before remembering her impetuousness and controlling her expression, despite the fact Tsunade could only grin in response; Sakura let it go with nothing by a sigh of irritation,

"She's still Kakashi's grandmother, the only family he has left."

Tsunade didn't verbally respond, but raised her eyebrows slightly in an expression that, had Sakura been looking, would have told the younger kuniochi that she didn't entirely agree with her assertion. Still, the pink haired jounin's hand glowing with green medicinal chakra reached out to Riika'a forehead, as the chakra flowed through her systems; the young kuniochi frowned, something about Riika's cells bothered her – as though there was some strange familiarity – but nothing to do with the fact Riika was a blood relative of Kakashi's.

Strangely enough, it brought Sakura right back to her time in Kumo – the thing that was off, yet somehow familiar about the comatose elderly kuniochi and the younger froze on the spot as it hit her just what she was recognising.

"T-Tsunade-sama…" Sakura ceased before re-initiating her chakra flow through Riika instead of finishing her sentence,

"What is it?" The incumbent Hokage stood up from her slouched posture against the door frame as she heard the disquiet in her former student's voice,

"I… I think Riika is infected with the virus… I can feel it in her system."

"What the hell? Sakura, you better be telling me the truth–"

"Tsunade-sama, I am, I'd know the feeling anywhere – it's exactly the same as those I examined in Kumo – and Pakkun when he'd been infected after the vial fell on him, but she hasn't had any symptoms, right? She was only brought in because of the injuries inflicted upon her by Kazuko…"

"Of course, Sakura, does she definitely carry the virus? Did you encounter any 'carriers' in Kumogakure?" The Hokage appeared by her former apprentice's side, the frown on her face deepening by the second,

"No, but I didn't think there were any carriers, I was so swamped and there were so many outbreaks that directly followed reports of the infected having contacted them that it didn't occur to me to look for anything other than a cure for the infection I could treat. I have no frame of reference, but I definitely recognise the markers for the virus, only her being a carrier would explain why she is asymptomatic."

"I've read your reports and I trust your judgement on this matter, but I don't understand the connection, the events which lead us and Kumo to the virus on top of the discovery that it had been engineered – does this mean that the same faction are still at work? Mutating the virus or is this something it's been able to do on its own?" Sakura breathed a low sigh out, worrying about the implications of the virus that had been allowed to spread unchecked, possibly, in an uncaring Kumo.

"I'm not sure, but I think it may mean Kumo aren't keeping a control of the virus – but even so, who could Riika have come into contact with, other than when she was still living in Iwa? We weren't aware of any outbreaks there… Not to mention the fact that Riika moved back here not long after Kakashi and his team left from their mission."

Sakura took a deep breath, disliking her thoughts as she verbalised them: "We'd heard no report of the virus in Iwa, but if Rock and Cloud were in alliance..."

"I know…" Tsunade sighed, "I'll quarantine her and speak to all staff that have had contact with her, Sakura, you'll need to check over Raidou, Genma and Kakashi, to see if its possible they too are carriers." Sakura breathed deeply as she acknowledged the weight of the Godaime's words, she'd already moved to the small sink in the room to wash her hands before preparing to leave,

"I'll go and see them now."

"Sakura, I think you might have to take a mission up to Iwa to see if we can track down what's going on with this virus – and if there are any more carriers." Tsunade said and Sakura pursed her lips disliking the prospect of having to spend any time in Iwa,

"I know."

"I'll look into it and let you know as soon as I've pulled together a plan; we cannot just sit on this even if it means revisiting Iwagakure."

"I know." Was all Sakura would say, but the prospect of what the Hokage was proposing, combined with the possibility of Kakashi's being infected made her sick to her stomach.

 

…

 

Sakura didn't bother to knock as nearly tore the fusuma paper in her hurry to let herself into his house, she called out, swiftly checking the kitchen for any sign of him, "Kakashi?"

"In here," He called out from him study, he'd turned around on his zabuton to face her as she marched into the room, almost skidding to her knees in front of him before unzipping his flack jacket and pushing it off his shoulders, whilst he didn't protest, he started bemused at her, "You seem in a big hurry, last night wasn't enough I take it?" He queried, not yet grasping the severity of her worry,

"I need to examine you."

"I thought you said playing doctor would make you too much of a pervert to work at the hospital?" He asked again, as she lifted up his shirt to press her hands to his chest,

"I've just examined Riika and found that she's a carrier of the virus!" She exclaimed, her eyes meeting Kakashi's and allowing him to finally see the extent of her alarm,

"She  _what?_  I didn't think there were any carriers."

"I know, but she's definitely carrying the illness, but just not showing symptoms, I need to check you over to see if you're a carrier too." She spoke so quickly, it took him a moment to decipher what she was saying, he breathed in deeply, but remained quiet, allowing her to work without interruption. His mind whirred as he thought over the possibilities and consequences of the little snippet of information he had just learned, as the minutes passed, he grew increasingly worried despite the warmth of her chakra radiating through him.

"Sakura!" Kakashi had to nearly shout to get his girlfriend's attention, so intently was she concentrating on chasing her chakra through his cells, but he could take the silence no longer,

"What?" She nearly snapped, not looking up from her hand on his chest, "What is it?" She asked a second time, a little more gently. Kakashi placed his hands either side of her head,

"Please calm down, Sakura, I'm not sick."

"You might not  _feel_  sick, but you were undoubtedly exposed to the illness – you remember what happened with Pakkun? And if Riika is a carrier then we might all have been infected… who knows when it could suddenly become active? We'd have an epidemic in Konoha, who knows who it might kill?" Sakura said keeping her eyes trained on her hands. 

 

He'd spent less of the day with her than he would have liked, but even so, Kakashi could easily see the stress on her, she looked a little panicked in the way he had only seen when she was desperately trying to rescue a patient from the needy fingers of death. He might have known better than to disturb her when in this state, but he could feel how her chakra had become almost chaotic as it coursed through his system. That made Kakashi more nervous than any news that he might be a carrier or infected with the viral agent. He inched forwards slowly, his knees brushing the outside of hers as his hands found her sides,

"You're panicking, this isn't like you, Sakura. There must be something else." He kept his voice low and gentle, something that tended to bank the fires of her temper – when he timed it right, of course –

"No, it's just… what if you've had the illness all along and I've been just overlooking it? I couldn't…" She didn't look at him, thought he wished she would,

"What opportunity have you had to spot it, even if you knew what you were looking for? It's not like you've been giving me a physical every month, well, unless you count a certain sort and thank god it more often." He could see a light twitch which told of the smile she was trying to hide, he took this as a sign she was warming a little and he moved his hands to her back, shifting himself closer still. Finally his overly stubborn girlfriend lifted her gaze to meed his, her green eyes weren't worried or teary as he'd begun to half expect, but it was rather a more uncertain expression, something that suggested she wasn't sure what option to take.

"Talk to me, I can't help you if I don't understand the whole story." He rubbed his fingers lightly over her shoulder blades feeling her seem to tense more,

"I don't know what's going to happen now, if there's another outbreak of virus in Konoha we'll be completely blindsided, clearly Iwa…or Kumo or both are still planning something, Kazuko's capture has told us that much…but what if we hadn't detected her? What if things had just gone on as usual and the virus resurfaced? What if I wasn't here to help? To help you? If you…" She trailed off but Kakashi caught her drift,

"Sakura, not every eventuality can be predicted or countered ahead of time, being shinobi means we–"

"I don't need a lecture on how be a ninja, damnit! I need to know how I'm supposed to focus on my job when all of my thoughts turn to you and how I'm supposed to take care of you when things like this happen!" Sakura's outburst surprised them both equally, she immediately dipped her head, as if having shared too much information; Kakashi himself was taken aback, no one he could remember had ever said such a thing to him – and whilst the subtext of her words struck him, he couldn't bring himself to think of it further. His hand clenched involuntarily as he brought them up, his hesitation momentarily as it found the side of her face, stroking her hair lightly,

"Sakura, you don't have to…  _take care_ of me." Even as the silver haired jounin spoke the words, he couldn't quite help the clipped quality to them – he couldn't even lie to himself about liking the idea;

"Can't help it," She muttered into her collar, before turning her head around to look at everything but the man opposite her, as her eyes drifted over the domineering tansu against the wall, she spoke further, "I'm so worried Kakashi, I feel like I'm more worried than I should be – I haven't felt this anxious since my first attempt at the Chuunin selection exam…I've been slacking off these past few months – after the war ended, since we've been together I've been so relaxed."

"Way to make it sound like such a bad thing." She smiled a little at his retort,

"Sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like that, really, you make me happy and frankly, that's scary to me…I…just don't really know what I'm supposed to do,"

"You don't have to  _do_  anything, Sakura, " He breathed, aware that they were clearly reaching some pivotal moment, "All I can tell you is that you make me immensely happy when you're around, whatever I can do to help you, just tell me and I'll do it."

"...I have to go back to Iwa, to search for any further carriers and how the virus got to Rock." She spoke more to his chest, her eyes darting away from his again, her hands still glowing with chakra and pressed against him,

"I'll go with you."

"It's not for you to decide, it's Tsunade-sama's decision." Her rebuttal might have been valid, but there was no force behind her words,

"I've been to Iwa the most recently as a Taichou [Captain], it would make the most sense to send me."

"She know's we're involved." Sakura said, no clear meaning behind her words though Kakashi couldn't help but find himself frowning at how negative Sakura sounded at the world ' _involved'_  as though it were something dirty, to be ashamed of.

"Since she took the time to tease us about being married before we had even gotten involved, I doubt she really had any issue with it." He replied.

"Still… you'd distract me the worst."

"And I could protect you the best." His shoulders slumped slightly, as she pulled her hands away from him, his shirt falling back to its original, though now wrinkled, position, "Am I infected?"

She took a deep breath, "I checked three times, you're a carrier too." She leant forwards to rest her head on his chest as his arms encircled themselves around her back, dragging her as close to him as he could "I don't want to go to Iwa, but I agree with Tsunade-sama that this virus has to be eradicated; if we have any chance of doing so then we have to take it." Kakashi didn't reply to her as he rested his chin against her head, "I have to find some way to crush this damn virus, I can't let it kill any more people, I can't let it kill you."

"You've saved people who've become infected before."

"I can't be around you every second."

"I'm resilient, I'd wait for you." She felt him shrug, but his near indifference made her tense with worry. He rubbed his hands over her back a little more, deviously sensitive to her mood,

"Kakashi?"

"Hmm..?" He murmured his answer, unwilling to break the relaxing silence between them after the panic had cooled,

"I think I'm in love with you." At her rather abrupt words, his eye snapped open in surprise,

"What?" She tensed slightly as he leaned back, his expression still one searching for answers,

"I… I do, I love being with you, everything is so comfortable and I always look forward to seeing you… I'm sorry, I don't know if you're ready to hear this, but…" Kakashi relaxed slightly, his shoulders lowering as his hand rose to pull down his mask, his mouth was slightly open and held the tiniest hint of a smile ghosting them – still not giving Sakura any sort of definitive answer.

"I hadn't thought I needed to hear you say that, but now I've heard it, I…" He trailed off and pressed his lips to hears urgently, Sakura responding almost instinctively, although the kiss was intense, he broke away quickly,

"I love you, I love you Sakura." They kissed more deeply again, the kuniochi both assured and excited as they pulled away and Kakashi pressed little kisses down her neck as she tightened her grasp around his shoulders; the absorbing silence ruined as the silver-haired lover muttered more to himself, though causing the kuniochi to laugh, "I'd been wondering why I'd been feeling so weird around you lately… I thought I was just getting old."

 

* * *

 

_"We know she had some involvement with that scroll." The piercingly dark eyes of the Uchiha stared at Riika unwaveringly, the equally obsidian hair barely waved in the slight breeze that interrupted the tense moment._

_The kuniochi barely raised an eyebrow,_ _"Really? How exactly do you 'know' that my daughter did anything? When was she supposed to have even seen this scroll?"_

_"She stole it."_

_"My daughter is no thief, unless you have tangible evidence of any wrong-doing then I'll happily listen, until then I will report any further harassment against me, my husband or my daughter to the Sandaime." With that, Riika stepped around and darted away from the Uchiha – a dangerous move to turn her back on one, particularly one who suspected her, but Riika had cultivated her years of experience and schooled her expression into one of utter nonchalance and ignorance._

_Damn Eiko for so carelessly discarding her friendship with Uchiha Teruo – she'd urged her daughter to keep herself on good terms with the boy with whom she'd stolen one of the Uchiha's most secret scrolls with. Teruo had been becoming more and more indoctrinated into the clan mentality, which had understandably infuriated the free spirited Eiko, but the still immature teenager hadn't considered that without good reason for Teruo not to do so, he would most likely pin all of the blame on her should the clan elders query him about the scroll they had stolen several months before hand._

_Riika was suspicious as to why it had taken them this long to start asking questions and casting aspersions, but as it had turned out, the elders had been absorbed in a funeral which had so presented the two children with an opportunity – and Teruo's resistance to clan tradition had meant that he'd had little opening with which to incriminate his former friend._

_The kuniochi had never been a particular believer in luck or divine intervention, but there had definitely been something at work that day protecting Eiko from the eyes of the Uchiha._

_Riika had a frustrating wait for her daughter to return from her last gennin mission before she attempted the Chuunin selection exam – Izuru tried to comfort her, but his ideas of what to do with Eiko differed greatly from her own,_

_"She should keep the knowledge she read in that scroll, it could be immensely valuable – incredibly so. To just want to hide it away in her psyche is a result of fear and doesn't allow for the potential knowledge she possess to be put to its full use."_

_"The Uchiha are a clan gifted with genjutsu-"_

_"That doesn't mean they can see inside her brain, Riika."_

_"But they can trick her into revealing everything she knows! They wouldn't hesitate to render her unable to tell anyone anything – if they decided to keep her alive."_

_"The Third would never allow that to happen."_

_"The Uchiha are the police and the most secretive clan in Konoha – the Hokage has only so much control over them." Izuru sighed heavily, sweeping a hand through his shaggy hair, the silence over them thick with worry and uncertainty;_

_"I could teach Eiko how to mask her knowledge, how to hide it from even herself with meditation that has proven itself against the strongest serums and jutsus."_

_"It's a forbidden technique, Izuru – it might be an Iwa one, but there's no guarantee she'd even be capable of learning it." Riika sighed, taking a seat on the zabuton next to her husband,_

_"Have some faith, Riika, she isn't stupid and we'll make sure she understands the implications of not learning this technique. I'll have plenty of time whilst I'm still off missions for the time being." He smiled gently as his wife came around to the idea, albeit rather begrudgingly, she rubbed a hand over his._

_"She'll hate it."_

_"Children hate everything until they've done it – especially learning." He offered nonchalantly, Izuru had always been so calm in stressful situations and had never yet failed to help diffuse Riika's worrying nature._

_And she'd been having a lot more to worry about in recent months: from her daughter's thievery to her husband's deteriorating health. She didn't want to think about how she could cope without him._

 

_.._

 

_._

 

 


	38. Season 2: The Box That Pandora Sealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for how long its taken me to update, I had a crazy busy few weeks!

 

 

 

"Tsunade-sama." Kakashi greeted as he stepped in front of the Hokage,

"Kakashi, I assume you are here to hand over those items of your mother's?" She asked, eyeing the rucksack he had on his back,

"Hai, there aren't many items in here, but I'd like a chance to finish cataloging everything I've found before I hand anything else over." He spoke with certain, unapologetic words and Tsunade held his gaze for a moment, before nodding;

"Well, knowing you, I suppose I should be grateful you bothered to even tell me about them in the first place." She rolled her eyes though Kakashi didn't respond, not feeling a need to validate what Tsunade had already asserted to be true. He slipped the pack off his shoulders and walked over to her desk, rummaging a hand in to withdraw the first item, a rather simple looking kunai.

"This kunai is one of many weapons possessing chakra channeling qualities – when I first picked it up I felt a charge of residual chakra still within it." Kakashi spoke fairly plainly and Tsunade eyed the weapon skeptically she reached a hand out to take a hold of the knife and just as her fingers touched the faded bandages around the handle, it suddenly crackled and almost burned the kuniochi.

"Ah! What the hell?"

"Oh, I thought the residual chakra had been drained…" Kakashi eyed the knife carefully, "Sorry, Tsunade-sama, I hadn't realised this weapon reacted unfavourably to incompatible chakra." The Hokage rubbed her fingertips over the palm of her other hand, frowning slightly,

"The team will have a tricky time analysing this if they can't touch it."

"It's interesting that you can't touch it." Kakashi spoke almost without thinking, piquing the Sannin's interest,

"What do you mean?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Sakura isn't hurt by this knife and she can use my chakra knives – she guessed it was because her medicinally trained chakra made it more flexible than average so she'd be able to utilise them." Kakashi explained and Tsunade stressfully rubbed two fingers over her forehead,

"First of all, Sakura knows about these things? The store, too?" Kakashi nodded, "And  _Sakura_  is able to touch this knife without getting burnt?"

"Hai."

Tsunade kept her face fairly passive, not giving much away, "Interesting. And what 'chakra knives' are you referring to?"

"Ah…" Kakashi swallowed, unwilling to give up he knew found weapons so soon; still he reached into his pouch and withdrew the pair, "These, apparently they too were designed by my mother and used by my father; they can connect a chakra link between them and store chakra." He offered a quick demonstration, the narrow, electric blue line drew Tsunade's eyes for a few mesmerising seconds,

"Incredible." She held out a hand to take a hold of one of the knives as Kakashi cancelled his chakra, "These won't burn me as well, will they?"

"No… they shouldn't do." The kuniochi frowned irritatedly, but bravely took a hold of the heavy metal, finding it as inert as any  _other_  kunai, she gripped it tightly for a second but found no opening or responsiveness from the metal that allowed her chakra to move any further.

"Sakura can use these, too?"

"Hai." He responded a little stiffly, Tsunade's eyes searched the kunai, then the man himself carefully for a few, silent moments,

"You both seem especially well suited to one another…" If Sakura's confession earlier that day hadn't shocked Kakashi enough, then Tsunade's indirect approval of their relationship certainly had,

"Wh-what?"

She merely shrugged, though, "You're lucky – it's hard enough to find people that are compatible with our characters, let alone our chakra." She handed the knife back to him, "What else have you brought?"

 

…

 

Genma leant back casually on the sofa in the Jounin lounge as he watched Sakura's hand glitter with green medicinal chakra, some of which he could feel small traces flit through his own system, he knew better than to try and talk to the kuniochi when focusing on something, but Sakura half-wished he hadn't slouched so much – with his shirt open and his arms stretched out either side of him on the back of the sofa made her feel like she the scene looked a lot more innappropriate from certain angles.

"Ok, Genma, as I expected you too are a carrier." She pulled a hand away from his chest and he buttoned his shirt, "Could you please detail as many of the meals you ate in Iwa? What were your living conditions like? Was the water clean? Did you receive any medical attention whilst on your mission?" Sakura strung her questions together as she scribbled a few sentences down on her notepad,

"Everything seemed pretty clean and maintained, but that was probably because we were in the administration building of Iwa, which hosted a lot of daimyos so I reckon the food and water must have been safe enough." He shrugged, but grinned at the woman sat next to him,

"Has Kakashi told you he loves you yet?" Genma had to bite his tongue from laughing out loud at the reaction he got: Sakura's head shot up to look at him so fast he wondered if her neck was in danger of snapping,

"What? He… has he what?" He could easily tell she was doing her best to look incredulous, but he could also see the faint tint of red to her cheeks –  _right on the money_  he congratulated himself silently, though carefully schooled his next words into a tone of honest, non-judgemental observation:

"He was so worried about you whilst we were in Iwa, I told him you were more than capable of handling yourself, but since he kept on sending Pakkun to you, I figured something must be worrying him more than usual."

"Uh, well, we kept in touch, it was useful to know the situation in Iwa as well as Kumo." Sakura tried to defend, looking back down to her notes as Genma was unable to resist his scoff,

"Yea, because nin on missions  _always_ confer on mission half way across the continent from each other and it wasn't as if we knew that Iwa had anything to do with the virus." As Sakura listened to his words, she sighed as a her sign of acquiescence and finally Genma could contain his grin no longer, " _So..?_ "

"So 'what'?" She tried to shrug off, returning her attention to her notes and flipping through them, "Besides, Genma, you still need to answer a few questions – did you feel ill, or a little 'off' at all, during your mission?"

"I didn't, but I'm sure Kakashi did, despite what answer he might try to tell you." He raised another eyebrow initially before offering a breath of laughter in return for Sakura's huff of irritation. She rose to her feet and shot him one last look of mild irritation – one she usually reserved in her days of hospital duties, when dealing with a particularly irritating patient – before turning and marching from the room. Although she was doing her best to refocus her mind onto detailing her findings to the Hokage, the smile on her face seemed to have a mind of its own despite her attempts to hide it for what Kakashi had already told her: the same as what Genma had apparently guessed.

 

* * *

 

"Who is it?"

"Sakura."

"Come in." The Hokage called, not taking her eyes off the items scattered over her desk – most of her paperwork having been pushed aside to make space for the artefacts of Kakashi's mother's.

"Tsunade-sama, I have completed the examinations of Genma and Raidou – both of whom are, unsurprisingly infected as well." Sakura spoke as she walked up to the desk, scanning her eyes over the weapons and scrolls laid out, "Oh, you're going over the things from the store?"

"Yes…" Tsunade eyed the curved weapons of Kakashi's, as the younger kuniochi picked one of the up and flipped it in her hand before gripping it properly and the blade suddenly flourished with blue-twinged chakra as the kuniochi charged it. A thin beam of chakra darted from its tip to connect, for a split second with its mate still lying on the desk, the kuniochi almost shivered as she could feel traces of Kakashi's residual chakra still within the metalwork, although a sensation she was used to, it still registered a deep intimacy – to have her chakra touch his.

Her eyes locked to Kakashi's in a moment and although he wasn't holding the other blade, he seemed to almost be aware of what she was feeling, it took a lot of self control to stop a blush creeping over her face as Tsunade's cough drew them back to the present;

"If you're finished? We really need to talk about this mission, Sakura."

"I request to be placed on this assignment, Tsunade-sama," Kakashi cut across instinctively, forcing the Hokage to roll her eyes in irritation,

"So it took you all of five minutes to blab to him?"

"Ah… sorry, Tsunade-sama."

 

"Kakashi you have been to Iwa most recently, and are respected there on diplomatic terms, despite how you nearly destroyed part of their administration building." Tsunade rolled her eyes at this statement, apparently not that bothered by it; "I know how well you work as a team, but I am concerned about the change in your relationship status. Though I am not doubting your professionalism, neither of you are naive enough to think that it will have no impact on missions you complete together. Admittedly, this mission is more intel-gathering, I am still working over the finer details – as to whether to send you as a recon party or speak directly to the Iwa council.

"Honestly speaking, I have doubts as to whether you you are capable of completing missions together with the same level of smoothness you could before you became involved, particularly whilst this relationship is still so…  _fresh._ " Tsunade's words reverberated around the room as both Kakashi and Sakura avoided each other's glance, still, the former spoke first,

"You are right, Tsunade-sama, the next mission you send us both on has a vastly higher probability of failure than had we not gotten involved," He spared a glance at Sakura, who had the same expression of incredulous curiosity at his bold words, "But given the circumstances, my having been to Iwa, as a Taichou recently, my being infected and my knowledge of the political workings of Rock in peacetime make me a valuable candidate to accompany her on this mission." Just as Kakashi's deep voice rippled the silence, it returned to it's own, almost sentient calm as Tsunade processed the information he'd given away.

"…Infected  _as well?_ " Tsunade asked.

"Yes, Kakashi is a carrier too, didn't he tell you until now?" Both of the women's eyes fixed on the man in question, who cleared his throat in a guilty manner,

"Kakashi…" Tsunade sighed loudly,

"Ah, I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama, it's dormant at the moment-"

"That isn't the point, damnit! I need to know when there is something afflicting my shinobi,"

"Tsunade-sama," Sakura interrupted, as politely as she could, "Kakashi's status as a carrier does also give me a valuable opportunity, I would be able to test any potential cures on him, without having to come back to Konoha first." She offered keeping her voice as professional as she could, strangely hopeful, despite her own misgivings about how uneasy she would be having him so close – playing on her emotions – she also knew this would be a valuable opportunity to prove that they could sill be effective mission partners. It was different whilst they were on separate missions, she knew that she viewed Kakashi as the ultimate point of return – she'd be home and safe from the mission as soon as she could share a kiss and a hug with him, but on the same mission? That would definitely throw her and she could deny her feelings of unease.

Still, Tsunade eyed them both with a discerning gaze, as if weighing the positive points against the negative – neither of which were negated in their validity by the other, she took a deep breath,

"Whilst you both work exceptionally well as a team, and have done so for many years, the aspect hat you two are now romantic partners adds an unquantifiable aspect to this mission – one which, despite my own  _experience_ in such a matter – could still cost the mission objective and a large number of lives as a result." She paused again to rub her fore and middle fingers over her temple, she took a breath in to continue her sentence, but was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door,

"Hai?" She answered impatiently, as if almost a fraction grateful not to have to finish her verdict. The door opened to a rather rushed looking young man,

" _Sore wa kankoshi Daisuke desu, [It is nurse Daisuke,]"_

"A nurse?" Tsunade asked to herself, before rising swiftly to her feet in realisation, "Riika!"

 

* * *

 

Riika jolted awake, her chest aching with the sudden movement, gasping for air roughly as she pushed herself into a propped position, trying to gather her bearings – where was she? Everything was clean, white and by the bed and surrounding curtain, she guessed it was the hospital. She breathed more slowly, but still as deeply whilst memories of her dreams returned to her: so many things had happened in her long life, many of which she'd believed she'd forgotten – Eiko and her troubles with the Uchiha, her change from nosy child to shrewd and sneaky ninja (and through the secret training of Izuru) had been called a gifted reconnaissance ninja.

Her memories of returning with the Leaf ninja as she dreamed, had been strange – not exactly as it had happened, they'd travelled at night, but why was it so bright in her minds eye? Riika recalled, stopping on a tree trunk and as movement caught her eye she found a figure running through the trees – shockingly the elderly woman recognised it as a her daughter – her long dead daughter – physically looking to be in her mid twenties chasing through the great forest of Fire. Barely a moment passed before Riika realised that the resurfaced memory twinned with the improvisation of her imagination was not something she should keep to herself any longer. Not with the recent events.

"Nurse! Nurse!" She shouted as loudly as her parched throat would allow, she shouted a few more times, until someone finally heard her call,

"What is- Kami-sama! Urushima-san, you're awake!" The young nurse was wearing a surgical mask over his nose and thing cotton gloves over his hands,

"I have to speak to Kakashi immediately! Go and fetch him!" She ordered, though the nurse seemingly ignored her and walked to her bedside,

"I'm sorry, Urushima-san, but Haruno-san discovered you are a carrier of the virus, though aren't displaying any symptoms."

"Nevermind about that – find me Kakashi!"

"But, Urushima-san…"

"No buts! You, young man, will bring Kakashi to me, or you will bring the Hokage!" Riika – despite still being confined to a hospital bed and being a number of decades older than him, she still had the gumption of feisty middle-aged woman; the man shrank back slightly,

"Um… I believe the Hokage-sama wanted to be informed of when you awoke." He soon disappeared and Riika settled back against the pillows, the effort of fighting the young nurse draining her already low energy reserves – she did her best to focus her mind to what she needed to tell Kakashi – and how she might be able to phrase it to him, had he any idea of what was waiting for him in the forest?

Despite her determination, she could feel her eyelids begin to droop, though she willed herself to remain conscious – what was taking the nurse so long?

 

"Riika?" A voice and gentle hand on her shoulder roused her,

"Hgn? Kakashi?" She queried before fully conscious, though as her eyes cleared, she could see that it was Tsunade at her shoulder,

"Riika-san, how are you feeling?" The Hokage asked again, helping the elderly kuniochi to sit up more, as she looked around she found Kakashi at the foot of her bed, beside Sakura,

"Fine, but if I may, Tsunade-sama, I wish to speak to Kakashi alone for a moment." The room seemed to hesitate for a moment,

"Riika-san, I would really must examine you immediately." Tsunade said, her long years in the medical field evident in her voice.

"I know, but I have to speak to Kakashi whilst I can still remember what I need to tell him." The two medic nin shared a glance, unnoticed by Kakashi, and they two left the room and so Riika and the Copy Nin alone, as Tsunade closed the door behind them, she eyed Sakura with unwavering authority,

"I can't even guess what answer you'd like me to give about this next mission." Tsunade asked almost gently, as if the Sannin was the teacher again and she thirteen and naive enough to believe she knew all the answers; Sakura let out a breath of indecisiveness,

"That's because I don't even know what I want. Yes, I believe having Kakashi around would be a great benefit – not just to my research, but because I've always felt the most comfortable with him on missions – I've done so many with him that I trust him implicitly, but… I have no idea how I'm going to react with him on a mission together with one so highly weighted." She shifted her whole body around to look at her former shishou – an uncomfortable reminder of what had happened during the war in  _soraku_  [sky area], where she and Kakashi had had a dire argument surrounded by the nin cats of the old Uchiha hideout, "If I'm too cold to him, he'll think something's up and we can't work together as a team, but if we're too affectionate, we won't focus on the mission…"

 

Tsunade looked at the expression on her former student's face – once which mirrored so well the first time she had come to her asking for advice about a patient which had two options for treatment, both equally risky, but one which promised health and the other a continuation of further suffering – her student had had to learn that hard way that time, even with her guidance. But now, Tsunade wasn't sure which was the right option – Kakashi was both the best and the worst choice to protect her prized student, yet…

"I wish there a few smaller missions I could have sent you two on to get adjusted, but the longer this gets put off, the worse it will be when there's another serious mission."

"I'm surprised we haven't been on a mission together yet." Sakura shrugged, not really thinking her sentence through,

"…How long have you been together?"

"Uh, a few months…" The young kuniochi cringed slightly, as Tsunade sighed,

"So the assumption of that monk who died, that you two were married wasn't that far off the mark, then?"

"Well, that was a good deal of time before we actually…  _got together_ , but no, I guess not."

"You two have clearly had enough time to get over yourselves in that case." The Hokage frowned a little as she spoke, "And you're not teenagers, go on the mission and behave like ninjas – I'll sort out the rest of the mission details with you in a day or two." Sakura opened her mouth to respond to the confirmation, but was interrupted by footsteps approaching them.

"Sasuke?" She queried,

"I heard Riika was taken ill." He supplied, his voice as cool as his demeanor, though his presence spoke volumes.

"She was, and has just woken up; good timing." Tsunade offered, secretly amused by the idea that it had been Kakashi's grandmother that had been the most successful in getting through to Sasuke's 'good' side out of everyone else in the world. Even Naruto couldn't hold a candle to Riika's results, she smirked to herself: nothing sorted out troubled young men like a no-bullshit grandmother figure.

"Can I go in?"

"Wait a few minutes, she's talking with Kakashi." The Hokage halted his hand on the doorknob, and he stepped back, slouching against the wall with his arms folded; the silence persisted for a few more minutes until the door opened and Kakashi spoke immediately,

"Tsunade-sama, I absolutely must go on this mission,"

"That's fine, I've already decided to send you both… what did Riika say to you?"

"Ah…" His eyes slanted to Sasuke,

"We'll talk later; is she all right?" The Hokage pressed,

"Exhausted, but fine, I think." He stood aside as the three in the corridor immediately entered the room to fuss over their patient and friend; Kakashi meanwhile, his brain buzzing with the information Riika had just told him as he darted away to find the old store – he needed to be on the top of his game if he was to be capable of finding and deciphering the things apparently hidden in great Forest of Fire.

 

* * *

 

"Hey!" Kakashi smiled up at her as she stepped over the threshold of his kitchen, where he was sat in an informal kimono and a pot of tea at his elbow, he leaned forwards to accept the light kiss she offered before she took a seat on the zabuton opposite, "I've already eaten dinner, but I have some left over, if you're hungry?" He offered, the book previously in his hand closed and set aside; as gratifying as it was to have his full attention on her and to let him take care of her, she shook her head signifying a 'no', she didn't want to be distracted from the awkward conversation she'd come to address,

"No, thanks though, I actually wanted to talk about something." She couldn't resist averting her eyes from his, feeling uncomfortably awkward and as her eyes found him again, his own sensitivity to her unease was mirrored on his bare face, lit only by the soft light of the  _kamado_  [traditional fire pit generally for cooking].

"Is it about the mission?"

"Hai. I think we should talk a little about how we're going to… approach this mission." The silence hung for a moment, "I really don't want to either screw this mission up and nor do I want to repeat what happened in that old Uchiha hideout. I know arguments are a part of relationships, but they're something that can't be afforded on missions." She did her best to keep her voice even and un-accusatory but it was a sensitive topic, and one that could spark as much of a fire as it could dampen one.

"I know and you're right, Sakura, we do need a strategy for how to cope with each other in the mission setting; we won't be equals on this mission, with one of us appointed as Taichou, if nothing else. But it might be wise to try and set up some boundaries or guidelines to help up regain focus if we find our emotions getting the better of us. Even if we just have to put off the damn argument until we're back safely on home turf." He offered and Sakura was unable to help her own wry smile,

"Good old lateral thinking Kakashi." She joked and Kakashi's small smile, one that was little more than a tug of his lips that made him look handsome and, to her mind, a touch devilish.

"Do you have any ideas about how we could mitigate any arguments in advance?" He continued and she sighed lightly, already feeling more relaxed,

"I think doing our best to keep in mind we aren't in Konoha… but, I don't know, whenever I find myself in an argument with somebody, I just seem to get caught up in it and can't help but fight until I win, you know what my temper's like," She grimaced slightly, under no illusions about her own nature,

"I know, I can't say I'm any better behaved when it comes right down to it. This mission  _is_  simply reconnaissance, if it goes well, all we'll need to do is hide in the bushes." They shared an awkward glance, resisting the urge to burst in childish sniggers,

"I will have to sneak into Iwa and potentially steal medical records."

"Well, you know how good I am at stealing those…maybe we shouldn't over think this too much, Sakura, perhaps the best thing we can do is keep on reminding ourselves that we're on a mission and the stakes are higher than our respective egos." He offered, taking a sip of his tea as Sakura nodded in agreement.

 

"You're right," She reached her arm across the table to place her hand into his, "I promise to try to keep my temper in check and remember those words." She did her best to make her words sound sincere, but somehow, she couldn't quite keep her lips from twitching.

"And I promise to try to keep to those words, too." It took all of about three seconds for them both to indeed start sniggering like idiots at their respective statements, Sakura calmed herself before asking what it was that Riika had said to Kakashi, he tilted his head, effectively showing his lingering curiosity,

"She said she remembered Eiko had hidden a box somewhere in the forest of Fire and that she had gone to great pains to hide it – and actively prevent any Uchiha getting their hands on it." His words sparked Sakura's own memory,

"That time we were bringing Sasuke back!"

"I'll bet that's where the box is hidden."

"Did she say anything about what was in there?"

"No, Eiko never told her, just that the box was out there somewhere. I want to try and look for the box, I'm still barely half way through all of the stuff in the store, but to think there's still more out there? I can't sit on that." He shook his head and drained the last of his tea from the cup,

"Did that woman even have time for missions? I don't know how she got so much done in such a short space of time."

"Hai, she couldn't have been any older than 26 when she died, amazing, really." Kakashi replied and Sakura frowned slightly at the rather depressing turn the conversation had taken as Kakashi rose to his feet and picked up the teapot and cup to carry them over to the sink; as he walked, her eyes still downcast couldn't help but notice the fact his footfalls happened to land on every cloth joint of the tatami on his journey. The same when he walked back over to her a few moments later, Sakura wasn't one to believe in superstition, but her spiritually overly zealous mother had obsessed over such small details whilst her daughter was young and hence made the kuniochi hyper aware of them. ' _Stepping on the cloth seams between the tatami mats will only invite bad fortune, Sakura-chan, the whole foot on the same mat, or don't step at all!'_ Her mother's voice rang clearly in her mind and even then the young kuniochi had frowned at the illogic of the statement – how could she not step? – but it was her mother's order and she couldn't very well disobey.

As Kakashi held out a hand to her and pulled Sakura to her feet, she put the thoughts to the back of her mind and Kakashi leading her into the bedroom for the night erased them completely. Tomorrow was a new day and a new mission.

 

* * *

 

They'd been travelling for little over a day and had made good progress, the forest, though losing its leaves from the approaching winter was still a beautiful place – despite the almost ingrained paranoia of all shinobi to never believe they were truly alone when out on missions, to Sakura, it seemed as if there were a thousand miles of silence between them both and any one else. They ran in silence as they covered the miles and Kakashi could again feel the wind through his hair and freedom that running gave him. Still his mind was engrossed in trying to figure out just where the box might be hidden (interjected occasionally by pleasurable memories of the previous evening with his kuniochi) – he assumed in the middle of the area covered by the tags, but without Sasuke's Uchiha blood or Naruto's sage mode he had no way of knowing where exactly the tags were and the area could, potentially be large.

As paranoid and secretive as the Uchiha were, how likely was it that they'd advertise any possible weakness against them? Impossible, by almost all standards especially as they were, during Eiko's lifetime, still in their prime and gaining ground over the Third in their police responsibilities.  _No,_ Kakashi justified to himself,  _the last thing they'd do is advertise a weakness;_  but what did that tell him about how the box might be hidden? How much area would it cover? Would Eiko have left any markers that he might be able to follow? Unlikely, that'd probably be too much of a risk, but an area to be too large would start raising questions if ever an Uchiha had to undertake a mission with one of the other village members.

"Kakashi!" Sakura's sudden voice snapped him from his thoughts,

"Hmm? What is it?" He glanced over to her before looking down to pinpoint the next branch before stepping off his current one, he knew they were now roughly in the right area - give or take a couple of kilometres.

"You've been so quiet all this time and have a really grumpy expression on your face, what's bothering you?"

"I'm just thinking about where and how that box could be hidden, there's a potentially massive area that it could be hidden in and in a multitude of ways, I… don't even know where to begin."

"I agree that this won't be a simple stumble-upon and we have next to no details – what size is the box? Is it buried? Has it any protective jutsus? What does it contain? Has it even managed to survive all these years? I know how important this is to you, and I won't pretend that I'm not in the least curious myself, but we do still have a mission to consider – we can't linger in the area for more than a couple of hours, maybe a day."

"I know." Kakashi responded, half nodding to himself rather than her knowing that if she wasn't there to drag him away then he was liable to stay there and look for the damn box for as long as it took: a day, weeks, decades; his appreciation for time had always been a bit lacklustre.

"Well." Sakura began again, thinking aloud to herself, "Why don't we start by finding that rotten stump where the first tag was located?" She was starting mostly into space but the sudden movement of Kakashi's head whipping around to face her caught her attention,

"That would be a start at least, let's fan out." Kakashi immediately made three clones and the miniature identical party all spread out, darting off in a semi-circular formation. Sakura sighed, the words ' _don't use any chakra'_ on the tip of her tongue, doomed to remain unspoken; she didn't act as quickly as Kakashi and instead tried to remember the area – the small nuances of the area where they'd made camp and tested out the tag on Sasuke; although there'd be no evidence of their having been in the area, it was a small gap between a handful of the larger trees, barely more than three or four feet, grassy and smooth beneath her tired legs of all that time ago.

 

She walked slowly looking carefully around for anything which might match her mental picture, she was wary however, time had a way of distorting memory and it was all too easy to embellish what was once a clear picture with other facets which belong to similar, though otherwise unrelated images. What she wouldn't give for one of Sasuke's eyes and eidetic memory right…

_"Kakashi!"_ She nearly shouted, jogging away to try and find him, feeling like an idiot for not having realised it sooner, his gifted eye gave him an eidetic memory. She leapt out as quietly as she could from behind a tree, "There you are! With your sharingan–" The man himself turned around to reveal his headband abnormally parallel and his natural eye closed, "…Oh…you figured it out."

"I didn't  _figure it out_  it just slipped my mind for a moment."

"Right, anyway, anything looking  _exact_  yet?"

"No, but I can't help but feel like I'm really close… it seems like-"

"Its just over there?" Sakura queried, her memory wasn't quite on a par with a sharingan user's, but she prided herself on it being above average,

"Yes, like it's just around the corner." The Copy Nin continued, assuming Sakura's words were more of a metaphorical nature,

"No, I mean look over to your left, Kakashi, about eight o'clock."

"Huh?" He span around and took a moment to scan his eye over the area, walking forwards a handful of paces to better allow his eye to take in the information his brain was desperately analysing, "I think you're right, Sakura, this does look a little like the clearing we made camp in. So the tree stump must be this way – if Iwa is in that direction…" He turned slowly, allowing his eye to look over the surrounding woodland in every direction and it wasn't long before he felt certain it matched his mental image. He strode forwards and after several paces, they came to an old, rotten trunk, half of which was lying on the floor from where Naruto had kicked it in half over a year previously.

Said silver-haired shinobi eyed it for a moment before biting his thumb, summoning his chakra and slamming his open palm onto the ground before him, revealing a droopy eyed little dog,

"'Sup, Kakashi." He greeted passively whilst the Copy Nin covered his sharingan and straightened his haitai-ate,

"Pakkun, I need you to find a metal box for me." Although Kakashi spoke hurriedly, the little ninken merely lifted his rear paw to scratch behind his own ear,

"In the middle of the woods, why? And after the last time I nearly died, I wanted a cooler mission… not to sniff out some crappy box. And hey, Sakura-chan." Pakkun complained, he'd hardly been summoned at all over the past few months since the war and his illness – whilst it was nice to have extra time for eating and sleeping, Pakkun  _did_  have a work ethic: he was starting to get restless and chasing the butterflies in his home valley just wasn't cutting it.

"Please Pakkun? There's a secret box that was hidden here by Eiko years ago, it's imperative I find it." Kakashi explained quickly whilst the small dog narrowed his eyes, "I'm sorry I haven't called on you often recently, but I promise I'll set aside some time for training once this mission is over, okay?"

"Fine," Pakkun acquiesced and rose to his feet, "Any ideas where I should start?"

"Go with half a kilometre's radius with this tree stump as the focal point."

"All of that? You seem to be in a hurry, why didn't you call the rest of the pack?" Pakkun asked, though Kakashi pursed his lips as a silent expression of the irritation bristling within him at the delay.

"Because we're on a reconnaissance mission right now, Pakkun, will you please just get on with it?"

"All right, all right," The ninken sighed before trotting off, as if he were some elderly pooch talking to some young whippersnapper; the silver-haired shinobi still crouched on the ground looked up at his girlfriend and slowly shook his head.

"He gets worse every year, it's like the worst cross between a grandfather and a child." Kakashi sighed and Sakura could only grin in response,

"How old is Pakkun?"

"A little younger than me, I got him when I was nearly six."

"Whoa! I know he's a ninken, but I didn't expect him to have lived for so long." Sakura hadn't meant her words to be so insensitive, but as she saw Kakashi's face fall slightly she rushed to reassure him, "Ah, sorry, I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. I guess I just hadn't thought so much about the prospect of him dying. He's prone to living much longer than ordinary dogs as a ninken." The moment of silence pervaded before Sakura saw it wise to distract him with a more pressing matter,

"Well, whilst Pakkun's busy with searching, I'd really like to run over some plans for once we get to Iwagakure."

"Of course, I assume you'll need to visit the hospital and any archives, but is there anywhere else you want to take a look at?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm not sure yet, you said that Iwa had been slit up into different districts? Do you think its likely each district has its own administration office?"

"We weren't allowed to see anything of Iwa, really, but when I slipped out to find Riika it all seemed very shabby – as if the borders had been hastily put in place; I seriously doubt each quarter had any real organisation to it. I think finding any real structure left will be tricky."

"True. I'm worried there'll be no useful records kept from which we can extract the information we'll need, I doubt we'll be able to ask around either, but perhaps if we could examine a selection of people, we might get a better picture of whether there is or was an out break in Iwa."

"It still doesn't explain how the virus could have gotten there, or why it would have been introduced to Rock."

"Well, it was more of a faction's operation in Kumo, we never proved that the legitimate hierarchy of Cloud had any involvement with them." Sakura countered, running a hand through her hair.

"Perhaps the faction was in alliance with one district and they tested the virus on the others?" Kakashi suggested, his intuition nodding in agreement with his hypothesis: there was strict control of crossing between the areas… but it was still more than likely it would have gotten out of control. Before another word had been spoken, though, a sudden and very human voice called out.

 

"Woof! Woof!" The two shinobi looked at each other suspiciously for a moment before darting away to the source of the sound, where they found Pakkun sat lazily on a clump of leaves beside a fairly deep hole he'd apparently dug into the earth, "Woof," He called out sluggishly again just as they appeared in front of him,

"Can you even bark?" Sakura asked immediately, before Kakashi was even able to open his mouth; Pakkun looked a little put out by her comment,

"I can do many things, Sakura-chan, the fact is that I choose not to." He replied tersely as Sakura merely rolled her eyes; Kakashi meanwhile was already crouched over the partially revealed box.

"Is this the only box in the area?"

"How many people bury boxes in the middle of nowhere? Of course it is." Kakashi didn't acknowledge how unsatisfactory Pakkun's answer was and instead busied himself by allowing his hands to dance over the metal box as he brushed off the dirt, still struggling to believe that he'd actually found it and as soon as his fingertips touched the cool metal, he could register the sudden tumultuous sensation that coursed the his bloodstream, it seemed. His hands jerked away initially, but quickly returned as he realised its lack of malicious intent;

"What is it?" Sakura asked, crouching beside him,

"It's… it's like there's chakra bouncing around inside the box, it's incredible." Kakashi's words were almost hurried – to himself the best way he could conceptualise of it was as though he'd just gotten into a hot bath after having had a chill, when he could almost feel the water stabbing at him; as if he could almost feel the individual molecules bouncing off of his skin in a chaotic charge of energy. It took a moment before he could bear to tear a hand away to reach for a kunai, slipping it beneath the join between the lid and body, jamming the heel of his hand down on the handle to snap open the lid, much as he had upon first encountering the hidden box in his parent's house right after moving in.

As the lid sprang open, it revealed a surprisingly and slightly disappointingly empty box, with only a single, loosely rolled scroll sat unassumingly in its centre. After a brief scan for any _kibakufuda_ [exploding tags] he tentatively lifted the scroll, unwinding it slowly, cautious to uncover any hidden tags which might bring him an ill-timed injury. Upon finding none, he looked at the scroll, which was covered, smeared almost in tiny writing, and various drawings of hand seals.

They made sense individually, but was still unclear as to what they pertained to – it made no sense to any jutsu Kakashi had come across. Sakura moved to look over his shoulder, the words she read made sense  _linguistically_ , but it didn't make technical sense: the instructions on how to flow and control one's chakra appeared a contradiction – one moment it asked for sharp, narrow weaving through the widest pathways and in the next it wanted almost chaotic, maximum-flow through the naturally narrow, twisted conduits of of the fingertips and of the…

" _Optic nerves?"_  Sakura questioned rhetorically as she read, glancing to Kakashi, whose profile told her that he too was uncertain what such a specific directive was trying to suggest; they looked at each other for a few moments, an unspoken question between them before Kakashi reached for his headband, pushing slowly up to reveal his crimson eye. Sakura's eyes focused on the three small tomoe before he turned back to the page, scanning it quickly, her breath was bated though he answered her quickly.

"Nothing. Nothing more I can read than the words already here."

 

"…What about with the Mangekyou?" Sakura suggested and he looked to her again, before closing his eyes and forming the draining jutsu within his gifted eye, the sharp angles and cold contrast of the black to red indeed made him more frightful, but the eye moved back to the paper – this time more absorbed. He didn't speak a word but placed the scroll on the ground and began making seals – one which the scroll, to Sakura's eyes, did not ask for – and after a moment of nothingness, he flashed a movement, bending his head down to an open palm which cupped his sharingan eye, as if in pain.

"Kakashi!" She whispered, as loudly as she dared to, her hands rushing to sides of his head, trying to pull his fact towards hers in an attempt to find whatever was wrong with him and fix it if she could; he grunted sharply in pain even with his hand still clamped over his left eye, slowly, though he allowed her to pull his wrist away from him and as his eye opened again, Sakura was – for one of the few times in her life – truly speechless.

But only for a moment.

"Are you shitting me?" She questioned, staring into his eye, which was now a pale, almost grey purple, it looked weak though – as if there wasn't enough power or chakra to allow the full eye to form; as if a gently ripple of purple had just managed to wash over the whites of his eye, but not enough to turn it truly a different colour.

"Are-can you-does anything look different?" As she spoke, the colouration faded as did Kakashi's Mangekyou, whilst his hand again rushed to his head as if in pain,

"Ah, no, thing looked a little fuzzy for a moment but I didn't notice anything different… what happened?"

"Your eye turned purple, slightly, like a Rinnegan colour, but I don't understand how that could be possible, its ridiculous."

"I… I don't understand – its not possible for me to obtain a Rinnegan – it's a ninjutsu far above my level and I'm not even a true Uchiha nor Senju and besides, there was nothing different in my vision or how I felt; this seals must pertain to something different - some other jutsu."

"What about the seals? What jutsu did it say you were casting?"

"Ah, well, it didn't say, I could just see them overlaid the text with the Mangekyou,"

"So you just cast them without any knowledge as to what they were?" Sakura asked slightly incredulously, that sounded like a stupid move any way she looked at it. But why wouldn't Eiko have spoken about what they were? If this was indeed a page torn from her archives, it would have made more sense for her to explain to her reader exactly what they were looking at… even if that reader had a sharingan.

But at that time, Eiko hadn't had Kakashi, had she? Let alone known he'd later obtain a sharingan so why would she have written it for a user? Or rather, how  _could_  she have written such a text which would have needed the eye to even scribe it. Wait,  _what?!_

"Kakashi – is this your mother's writing? Her handwriting?"

"Hmm?" He scanned his eye over the page, "Yes, it is exactly."

"But how the hell could she have written the seals in such a way it would need a sharingan to read? She couldn't have written this without a sharingan and some exceptional mastery over it in the first place." Kakashi seemed to be finally catching up,

"But… how? Eiko was only an enemy of the Uchiha – she wouldn't have had any allies within them and neither would she have been able to steal this – not without getting killed in the process."

 

"Didn't Riika say anything? Maybe she would know of anything else about Eiko's relationship with the Uchiha – other than their animosity – of course." Sakura asked.

"Possibly, but even if she did, it wouldn't explain how this scroll got out here in this box surrounded by Uchiha-specific protective tags."

"Can I go yet? If there's nothing else for me to search for…" Pakkun interrupted the terse moment,

"Yes, thanks Pakkun, I might need to call on you again soon."

"All right… see ya." He lifted a lazy paw and disappeared in a small poof of smoke. Kakashi sighed again clearly at a complete loss, Sakura dropped a gentle hand onto his shoulder,

"I don't understand this any more than you, Kakashi, but we still have a mission to attend to – if you can seal the scroll away as safely as possible we'll ask Riika as soon as we get back to Konoha. The quicker we get on with this mission, the sooner we can return." She couldn't seem to help herself as her hand shifted up to brush over the back of his neck, he shifted slightly to look at her and silently agreed, knowing she was right.

"Okay, I know you're right; I can analyse this better and hopefully find out what its for back at home." He stood up to full height, re-rolling up the scroll tightly before biting his thumb and smearing a short but thick line of blood over the edge; holding it in one hand he fetched another scroll from the front of his flack jacket, opening the latter with a flick of his wrist. His hands flashed through some complex seals before he slammed the new-found parchment onto the open page richly decorated with calligraphy kanji – in a swift moment and a coiled plume of smoke, the first scroll disappeared and the second rolled itself up tightly (even the small bow redrew itself into a tidy knot).

"Let's go." Kakashi spoke with his confidence apparently none the worse for wear, as he slotted the scroll back into his breast pocket and fasted the tab closed.

 

* * *

 

Gerimaru watched the two nin battle carefully from behind folded arms and a guarded expression; the two were fairly evenly matched: the female ninja was quick on her feet and skilled in ninjutsu but she still lacked heavy hit power – allowing her opponent, a male, an open advantage.

"Gerimaru-sama? What do you think?" The now-leader of Uzushiogakure turned his head to look at the kuniochi beside him, though he didn't immediately answer her question; he allowed his eyes to drift over the view of his village he had from his vantage point,

"She still lacks brute force, that will cost her dearly in a real fight… and he still lacks manoeuvrability, he's too heavy on his feet and doesn't move well in close combat."

"True."

"But they both use ninjutsu well and they've come far in a short space of time."

"We could really start to use Konoha's help at this point, we could do with some specialist nin to come and train us in some techniques – medical ninja would be particularly useful." At her comment, Gerimaru had to resist the urge to lift his hand to his chin in memory of the last time he'd pissed off a medical ninja – and an abnormally strong one at that.

"We do need their help and they're good allies to us, but we have a lot of work still to do here – we can't call on Konoha until they can see we're no longer in ruin and we're a village strong enough to defend our own secrets." The Kenjin-san [wise man] rebutted,

"We can't linger too long – what if we get attacked? We can't afford a conflict with one of the great nations, our jutsu knowledge is too limited. The lull of the war has been good business for us with the rise of escort and body-guarding missions, but that will change soon to more combat orientated roles."

"I know Kumo are still a threat, but a lot of the nations are still struggling post-war which has given us and edge plus the advantage that none of those countries are eager to engage in more costly conflict until they've enough resources and finances to justify it, but we need to develop some more internal strength first." Gerimaru spoke with a cold maturity, a form of him the kuniochi was still getting used to – since the death of Wazishi and the need for the younger man to take up his mantle, he had become one Masami almost no longer recognised – she'd had her doubts before, but he had truly adapted to the role and had unmistakably earned her respect.

 

"But first, Masami-san, we need to get on with finishing the organisation of the administration building." Gerimaru unfolding his arms and turning to walk away, back towards the slowly re-growing Uzushio. Over the past few months they'd managed to clear a lot of the debris and erect an administration building and half a hospital – it didn't look like much, but they didn't have a vast population and the rubble of the old Whirlpool had sat for so long it was by no means an easy task to clear it. Still, Gerimaru had worked tirelessly to find and categorise all of the old documentation and make new files for future missions and ninjutsu – he had kept them all carefully sealed away using one of the more advanced sealing jutsus Wazishi had taught him before he died.

Of all the things Gerimaru wanted to uncover, though, was more information on the White Chakra that Uzushio had come by decades previously; he'd found no such information on it, but was fascinated by the procedure. He'd been told very little by Wazishi, only that a sample of the chakra had been implanted into Ashaya Umika and she had apparently taken well to it – become an exceptionally skilled shinobi before fleeing to Konoha – and later turning out to be Kakashi's grandmother. Gerimaru was fascinated, though by where the chakra came from and how it could have been gathered and stored without it degrading; chakra  _could_ be stored but it was only ever by means of binding it to a paper or specialist ink medium... only after the ink had dried. The idea that chakra could be held in liquid suspension was truly a revolutionary idea and so incredibly advanced that it gnawed at his very bones with the desire to regain that level of ninjutsu control in his future shinobi village.

His mind turned to Kakashi and subsequently to the time when the party from Konoha had first arrived, aside from snorting lightly in amusement as he recalled his own suspicion of them which had turned very swiftly to admiration and even affection once he'd visited Konoha; but would the Copy Ninja trust him enough to share that kind of information with him? Gerimaru kept meandering through the rubble of the old eastern quarter of the village as him mind kept mulling over the name Hatake – there had been a family by that name in Uzushio, so where had their house been? Could they have kept their own records? Perhaps even Umika herself might have kept journals on the procedure done to her.

Gerimaru suddenly picked up his own pace of searching, scanning his eyes over the rubble, looking for any symbols he didn't recognise or houses he might be able to discern; nothing sprang immediately to the fore and it took almost three days of solid searching until he found the remains of the house he was beginning to doubt existed in the first place. Gerimaru searched alone through the remains of the house – much to the confusion and slight worriment of his shinobi, who he'd instructed to continue working on the buildings and to leave him be, as the leader shifted much of the rubble and saved every scroll and piece of paper he could find. Setting them all aside until he'd found everything that he could, he sat down to read them all; he eliminated nothing until he'd read it all thoroughly, whilst a lot wasn't particularly relevant from some of Fuyu's personal journals (mostly detailing his youthful hatred of Wazishi as well as his own disgraces) there were a handful which definitely looked to be promising.

The closest thing Gerimaru found was a half ruin scroll written probably by Fuyu's father, though it was confusing at first as to why he should be writing about such a topic but it soon became clear:

_-the procedure in a few days; I believe Ashaya Umika is a good choice though the same procedure has failed on several other shinobi – they even rejected the initial test samples whereas she responded very favourably to all tests. I still have my doubts – the medical teams are skilled but I fear they still reply on the old, clumsy methods that tend not to favour the comfort or safety of the patient as much as it should._

_There is still the part of me that regrets what we did to the Rokubii Bijuu – he had been free for a long time and Uzushio had served as a great haven for it – we never attacked the Bijuu and our introverted nature meant we kept its presence here hidden and inadvertently defended it from any who might have chosen to attack it. In return the great beast blessed our village with much of its vitality and life energy – so giving rise to the great legend of long lived Uzushio shinobi – it was true, but it was not to do with the strength of the Whirlpool nin by themselves._

_I resent the decisions of my father – Iwao – damn power hungry and warmongering monster he was, couldn't stand to sit with such a powerful beast on his doorstep and do nothing to gain the advantage. So after many years of truce with what was probably the most agreeable and least malevolent of the tailed beasts, he organised the mission after coercing the Kenjin-san to agree that they needed a strong upper hand, they set out to steal a sample of the beast's chakra._

_One month, fourteen shinobi killed and one pissed off Bijuu – whilst Iwao hailed the mission a success, parading the small vial of suspended chakra as though it were a nobleman – Saiken had lost his trust of the Uzu nin and our surrounding forests where he was happy in his natural state and instead fled where he was captured and fell into possession of the Mist. Goddamn that fool of a father – if his arrogance doesn't destroy Uzushio then whoever the Jinchuuriki of the Rokubii is will have knowledge of the defences and capabilities of the Whirlpool nin - and so end our proud village._

 

..

 

.

 

_A/n –_

_Just in case the family tree is confusing anyone it goes like this: Hatake Iwao – (father to) – Fuyu's father – Fuyu – Sakumo – Kakashi_

_Make sense?_

_And before you all start going 'FFS now Kakashi has a rinnegan?' NO he doesn't - I'm teasing you with comparisons and whatever the hell it was Eiko was really up to :O_

_I also apologise for weird mix of UK and US English in this chap - my word document containing Storm Cloud's spell check has official crashed so I have to use the spell check on my web browser which - although I tell it I am a UK English speaker, it always seems to default to the US version -_ -'''_

 


	39. Season 2: The Memory Of A Memory

 

 

 

Kakashi stood, under the disguise of a simple  _bunshin no jutsu_ , in front of what was Riika's old house; it looked much as it had done when he'd first visited here to reconnect with his grandmother all that time ago. The _fusuma_  was still drawn closed and no light shone from within despite the darkness of the night; he was still tentative of entering the property and equally uneasy – another tenant could well have moved in without his knowledge. He and Sakura had been in Iwa for an afternoon – they'd chosen two single civilians who seemed to have few or no family and placed them under heavy genjutsu and assumed their identities.

They decided to 'make friends' on the second day so that they could confer with each other about what they'd found out – it was a very roundabout way of conducting their mission but it served their purpose. Kakashi crept up to the house and paused waiting for any signs of movement or life within the house but after a few minutes he heard none; he slipped around the side of the house and vaulted up to grab onto the windowsill, directing a minute amount of chakra to his feet, he was balanced enough to pry open the window and then slipped inside.

The place was dark, dingy and by the smell alone could tell it had not been lived in or tended to in a long time; there was a thin layer of dust covering almost every surface, except the floor which suggested that a population of rats used it frequently as a highway. He crept about silently, wary of any traps Riika might have set before she left, though he found none - and Kakashi wasn't sure whether he was surprised or not. The house seemed to hold nothing other than a few sparse personal items, a few clothes, books and crockery; he scoured every inch of the house and found nothing.

Absolutely nothing – certainly there were a couple of hidden compartments and some well hidden gaps from which traps could have been strung or set up, but it was all devoid. Either Riika had disabled all traps before she left or she had not been lying in her flippant comments previously about 'not having been a ninja in some years' – he'd taken this to mean that she had not been on active duty: to his mind a shinobi never lost their instincts or their intuition.

But considering the state of Iwa when he had last visited, perhaps the retention of shinobi habits by Riika would have drawn unwelcome attention to her. But still, he had found it truly odd that there weren't even any shinobi or ninjutsu scrolls – even from when she had still been an active ninja. Perhaps the sudden dissection of Iwa had forced the 'retired' shinobi to give up all of their knowledge and related accessories? Kakashi sighed deeply and as he stood in the centre of the room in which he had first spoke with his grandmother for the first time in decades he felt a cold remorse for all the long years she had been forced to remain in Iwa – with her career in tatters and forced to do no more than serve tea for twisted men who would carve up their once proud village for scraps.

 

He slipped just as silently from the house and reappeared on the street in seconds, where he stuffed his hands in his pockets and ambled away, as he neared the corner, his eye fell onto a sign that had been knocked to the ground – the same one Kakashi had passed when first visiting Riika, which had informed him of the divided state of Iwa. It appeared to now be ignored, but why the sudden change? Kakashi had been so intent on finding Riika's house that he hadn't paid as much attention as he should have to the fact he had passed through several districts on his way here. Had it all dissolved so quickly? With Peikou gone had the Lords lost their motivation? But a bigger question that was bothering him, was the complete absence of any shinobi – everyone he set eyes on had been obviously a civilian, or a ninja trying very hard to pass themselves off as an average Joe.

He kept ambling in the general direction of the small food district where he had agreed to meet Sakura earlier, passing by small pockets of villagers and various shops – none of which catered to shinobi needs. As he meandered down the narrow streets, he caught a few whispers,

"So what do you think about opening up some more trade links with Kusa no Kuni [Grass country]?" Asked one young man to his friend as they sat at a small streetside bar,

"Bad idea, it'll ruin us… its still has a shinobi village and they'll force us to start training fuckin' ninja again."

"Can't be so bad, let's face it we were richer then than we are now." His friend countered,

"Oh yea? Think about all the business a few months ago – when them foreign ninja were here when that building got destroyed and the Lords when mental and forced out all the shinobi? Who paid the price then? As if the taxes weren't high enough already."

"Kami-sama I remember! Never in my whole life have I struggled so much to feed myself, let alone my family." Their conversation paused a moment as they each took long droughts of their beer, "Who were those ninja anyway, what village were they from?"

"I dunno but it doesn't matter, if they're ninja, they're trouble."

Kakashi wanted to listen in more, but the barman kept shifting his eyes over to him and he decided he couldn't linger any longer, he wandered off further and began to look for Sakura as his mind processed what he'd heard – if they had truly been inadvertently responsible for the implosion of Iwa, then how exactly had they not heard anything about it?

As worried as Kakashi was for the apparent lack of ninja in the village, the barfly's explanation barely filled in the gaps – and even as secretive as Iwa was naturally, ANBU and other intelligence ops would have gathered some data on increased numbers of wandering shinobi or emigrating shinobi. Surely they wouldn't all have simply disappeared into the depths of Earth Country to scratch a living off an unfamiliar lifestyle? Kakashi shook his head and stepped into the nearest restaurant, where his keen eye spotted a newly-familiar form – Sakura might have been under her disguise, but the Copy Nin had made a point of memorising her so he he could find her later; she had a long skirt on and a simple, sand coloured top, her hair was a deep red but still straight – it seemed to suit her somehow. He walked up to her, careful to put on a demeanour that better suited his alias than himself – though in this instance, the two seemed to cross over.

 

"Ohayo, sorry I'm late Misaki-san." He apologised whilst taking the seat opposite her, it was a good corner Sakura had chosen, where they should be able to talk fairly freely,

"It's all right, Yasa-san," She smiled lightly at him, "I was actually a bit early."

"Well, since I did ask you out on a date, I should have made more of an effort to be here to greet you." Kakashi spoke; he bit his tongue a little, in a sense he and Sakura had never actually been on a date. A waiter approached and they ordered warm  _sak_ _é_  for a start.

"So, how did your day go? Anything interesting happen?" 'Misaki' asked, her own eyes taking in the odd sight of her in-disguise boyfriend – his hair was now jet black and little more than a bird's nest on the top of his head, though his face was a little angular, as Kakashi's was; his attire was a pair of pale trousers, shirt and a waistcoat but it was still refreshing to see him in civilian clothing – her mind's eye easily and reflexively overlaying them to the Kakashi she knew.

"Ahh, not much, I just went to visit a family member's house – it was pretty quiet and I know she's getting old but she's starting to have real trouble keeping everything clean and dusted."

"That's sad to hear, doesn't her husband help out?"

" _Iee_ , he died several years ago and I think its all finally getting to be too much… I even had to shoo a rat out of the kitchen." The waiter returned and they each ordered a meal – Kakashi going for rice with  _umeboshi_  and  _yakitori_  and Sakura opting for  _inarizushi_  with egg rice and a small side of fried chicken  _gyuoza_.

"So what did you get up to today?" Kakashi asked, taking another sip of his rice wine,

"I went to go and see my cousin in the hospital, he's been in there for a couple of weeks – it's nothing really serious he just being kept for observation but I thought I'd go and cheer him up anyway…"

" _So da,_ I hope he can be released from hospital soon, it can be a bit of a miserable place; surprising he's been kept there for so long though, I was sure the patients were usually treated very quickly and they could leave without long periods of recovery." He was careful to phrase his question, hoping Sakura too had noticed the distinct lack of shinobi in the hidden village,

"Yes, it used to be – but I think since all of the ninja medics lost their jobs the civilian methods are a lot slower."

"I'm surprised even the medics were lost – don't they always have regular patients to treat?" Kakashi asked,

"I would have thought so, but I guess they faced too many problems using using their ninja skills or whatever." Sakura shrugged as she took a ship of wine, appearing nonchalant to anyone who might be looking at them, but she shared a dark glance with Kakashi – Iwa was in a worrying state of affairs.

 

"So, Misaki-san, what do you normally like to do? What are your hobbies?"

"I… I guess I like calligraphy and to read, but I also like to be outside. What do you like to do, Yasu-san?"

"Ah, I like to cook! My mother insisted I learn how and I actually quite enjoy it now – I like inventing my own recipes." He offered a silly grin and Sakura couldn't help but laugh a little,

"What have you come up with so far?"

"Oh! I think my best is the baked cod with lemon and oil, but I bake it with turnip and a light pastry casing so it all tastes of fish but the smell isn't overpowering… I know it doesn't sound like much, but it does taste delicious; I think its best with roasted vegetables." Kakashi had a mild blush on his face as he spoke, as if nervous of feeling proud about his cooking – although he had every right to be, he'd cooked for her before and, as with a lot of things he turned his mind to, he excelled at it.

The silence pervaded for a few moments as they looked at each other, she'd been alone with Kakashi numerous times, but this setting was vastly different and he might have looked differently, but he still had the ability to make her heart skip a beat. The waiter suddenly reappeared with a small candle which he placed in the centre of the table and lit it smiling at the couple.

"You meals with be served in a few minutes." The waiter spoke politely.

"Thank you." Kakashi said reflexively, the waiter left them and he laid an arm on the table, reaching half way to Sakura, who responded by stroking her own fingertips over the back of his hand, "Do you remember that date Gai tricked me into ages ago?" He spoke with a low whisper,

"Yeah." Sakura answered, grinning at the memory,

"I'd never have guessed at that time that my next date would have been with you." Sakura couldn't help the next smile that spilled over, "Although maybe I had an inkling after you told me you'd read  _Icha Icha._ "

"Haha, was that really so important?" She asked and Kakashi shrugged, clearly amused.

"Well, it is one of my interests – we could hardly expect to have a good relationship if it was just something you merely tolerated, right?"

"True." She agreed.

"We have to support each other – we're not going to like all the same things, but the more we have in common, the easier it should be to over come the differences, right?"

Sakura could sort of see the logic to his words, but she couldn't help but crinkle an eyebrow, "How many long term relationships have you had?" She asked the question more in jest, but Kakashi seemed to hesitate a little,

"Ah, well, none I guess – I mean, I have a few short term things, but having a serious partner never seemed appropriate or even possible for a long time," He looked a little anxious, but Sakura only gently shook her head,

"It's okay, it's not like we have much time for involved relationships, do we?" She said and he relaxed a little at her words.

"I guess not," His hand moved to grasp hers more firmly, his large hand easily swallowing hers up in a deeply comforting gesture, they stared at each other for what seemed like a long while, the flickering candle light between them illuminating his face gently, "I love you,  _Sakura."_  He spoke in what was little more than a throaty whisper but she tensed her hand reflexively.

"I love you Kakashi."

 

* * *

 

He felt as if he were floating atop a large cloud – high above the world and impervious to any of its proceedings – yet he could look down and see exactly what was happening anywhere on the vast earth. He could see the business in the former Uzushio, the young men and women working hard to rebuild their village and their lives, the same diligence he saw in the generations of Konohagakure citizens, even as they went about their daily lives. He couldn't feel himself move, but his eyes seemed to shift over to the far West, where the impoverished nations were suffering after the climax of war, they had struggled to defend themselves and the ever decreasing demand for missions meant they had less and less to make a living off of.

His mind seemed drawn to a young kuniochi in Kusa territory, she was guarding another young woman as she took her children from one village to another; they talked stiffly with one another only when necessary: to him it seemed they were each jealous of the other – one had employment and excitement and the other a family, a freedom from the ad hoc and disorganised structure of her necessary employment.

The Abbot remained far above the troubles of the world for a good long while, so long it seemed as if he could not remember how his own physical body felt, or the taste of bread dipped in soup. But the world was a vast and fascinating place at every moment there was something new to witness: a young fox making its first kill without the aid of its mother and finally achieving its independence, a young shinobi mastering his first jutsu, and a young couple of their first date. The waters of life flow on and on without ever stopping, sometimes the river flows fast and sweeps along all those on their journeys quickly whilst at other times, change happens slowly; but never does it not happen at all.

His eye focused for a moment on the young couple, their conversation happy but loaded, both of whom seemed eager to share with each other – the Abbot smiled to himself as the mannerisms of both seemed strangely familiar to him; he couldn't place it immediately but the young man's countenance and warmth definitely reminded him strongly of another, although who wasn't entirely sure who or how.

The woman he was with, also, held an air of delicate familiarity and confidence, they seemed both, to share a closeness and ease unusual for it to be their first intimate meeting. He did his best to connect the scene together in his mind, but his focus suddenly shifted and his eye was on another young man as he looked out over a small sea of young children running out from a building – the dark haired teacher watched in particular a young boy dash off to find his elder brother, smiling and chattering as fast as he could about the things he'd learned to his sibling.

The teacher still watched as his heart was both happy and heavy – as if recalling memories that mirrored the actions being played out in front of him. A name sprang into the Abbot's mind,  _Uchiha Sasuke_ he was the younger sibling, his own elder brother had been  _Itachi_ ; the care free meditation the monk had been enjoying was, like the clear sky, suddenly overcast, as if a great black cloud had appeared over head - the light dimmed ever deeper until he could see nothing. He looked around all over but no light came from anywhere…except two small pinpricks; the closer they got, the more the monk could discern: the light was red, the redness revealed that they were eyes and they eyes belonged to a face.

The face belonged to a young man, the light suddenly seemed extrinsic to them and revealed enough for the man to see his impromptu companion fully, he had long black hair and an iron resolution beneath the lines of fatigue on his face; yes, the monk remembered this young man.

_Uchiha Itachi._

_Abbot_ , the former missing nin spoke in polite reply; despite the fearsome reputation this nin had acquired, Yuoi had found him to be nothing but respectful when he had approached the temple some years previously – the monks had been wary of his presence and asked him to leave, but Itachi had been adamant about speaking to the Abbot.  _Do you remember my visit to the Fire Temple?_

_I do, Uchiha-san, and I recall you using your sharingan on me._  The Abbot had come back to himself seemingly immediately after the complex sharingan had appeared in the young man's eyes – and although he felt no worse for wear, his instincts told him something had indeed happened without his knowledge.

_Yes and I apologise Yuoi-sama, but I had to entrust some information to you and I could not risk your forgetting it. Since you can hear me now, you must still remember the knowledge I gave you. Do you recall our conversation?_  The Abbot thought back, Itachi had kneeled in front of him, still with his Akatsuki cloak about his shoulders, though he had gladly surrendered his physical weapons before entering the room; Itachi had spoken of his younger brother, Sasuke and how the boy had been taken in by the same organisation he himself was a member of, something Itachi regretted deeply.

_Uchiha-san, what exactly was so important for me to keep that no one else could?_

_Before I left my clan for good, I had some dealings with an elderly man by the name of Uchiha Teruo; he had been shunned by the clan but he knew a great deal about the sharingan and another eye technique called the rinnegan. He was a solemn man who spoke only out of need but neglected by the younger generation. The things he hold me I must pass on to Sasuke when the time is right, but I am certain Sasuke will not allow me to explain them to him._

_So you want me to take on that role?_

_This is a heavy burden, Abbot, Sasuke is still a risky young man who could still turn his strength for either evil or good. There is hope for him but I cannot see his future clearly, only that he will face another sharingan user in battle, a powerful one, and without this knowledge Sasuke has a high chance of losing._

_Uchiha-san, the wars are long over – Sasuke is back in Konoha now; the Fourth war was finished a long time ago._

_Please pass this information on._  Itachi replied passively, as if he had not heard Yuoi's last remark – the Abbot saw his mistake, he was, after all, essentially talking to himself during this conversation.

_I do not know what I am to tell him._

_My sharingan will reveal all of the information to you,_

_But… why are you only revealing yourself to me now?_

_I had set this memory to trigger upon seeing Sasuke – all you need to do is have him look into your eyes with his mangekyou sharingan and he will see it all for himself._

_Uchiha-san, I…_  The Abbot couldn't finish his sentence as Itachi appeared to be moving close to him, the eyes suddenly began to swirl and change, the previously concentric round lines of the sharingan moved and stretched outwards into a three pronged windmill shape and the Abbot could concentrate no longer on anything else.

Yuoi came back to himself with a jolt, finding himself flat on his back inside the small meditation room, it took a moment for his mental fog to clear before the adrenaline kicked in and called out, shouting for one of his apprentice monks,

"A-Abbot, what is it?" One of whom peeked around the edge of the  _fusuma_ , alarmed at the distressed state of the head of their order,

"Fetch me a pen and scroll immediately!"

"But, you must eat, Abbot, you have been in meditation for several months, you–"

"Now!" Yuoi almost shouted, he could feel the memories that weren't his own beginning to fade and if he couldn't write them down the knowledge would be lost for good. He did his best to hold on to them as strongly as possible until the monk returned with several sheets, a pen and ink well, the Abbot almost snatched them out of his hands and, despite his shaking body, he wrote as swiftly and neatly as he could. For hours he sat huddled over, scribing away speaking only to ask for more paper or more ink and the monks, worried at the abnormally manic state the Abbot was in, hurried to obey in the hopes he would soon calm back to his usual temperament. It was almost dawn when the monk finally leaned backwards and drew a deep breath, satisfied he had written all that he was able to; it was several more minutes before one of the other monks around him ventured to speak, but the elder beat them to it.

"I must travel to Konoha. Get everything ready to leave as soon as possible."

"Wh… what? Yuoi-sama, you have been in meditation for many months and you have eaten nothing over the last few weeks – you had been in so deep… I must respectfully insist that you eat something first." His disciple spoke desperately and Yuoi sighed,

"Yes, I am hungry, I will take a meal of whatever there is before I depart."

"But, Abbot, Konoha is a long journey away, is there no way we could send a courier pigeon?"

"Absolutely not! The message is too important to be sent without my personal accompaniment, besides there is a young man I must speak to personally." The other monks all shared uneasy glances, never before had the Abbot awoken from meditation in such a flurry of activity – let alone with such a ridiculous idea as to set straight out on a difficult journey: he was old as it was and weak from meditation.

"Abbot, who do you need to speak to? I will send a bird ahead to inform the Hokage."

"Uchiha Sasuke." Yuoi replied as he cast his eyes over the numerous sheets he had written waiting for them to dry, ignoring the awkward glances between the other monks.

 

* * *

 

Sakura was starting to get the hang of sneaking around the hospital and examining patients whilst the civilian nurses were busy tending to other, noisier patients; she had found no traces of the virus at all and Sakura was't sure what it meant – either they had never been infected or that a cure had been created and administered. Sakura really needed to see some records but if all things shinobi had been shunned in Iwa, then would the records have been kept? Surely they wouldn't have been stupid enough to destroy records on something so virulent and destructive as the virus… would they?

Sakura wasn't sure but she nonetheless quickly washed her hands and slipped from the room and back down the corridor, she thought for a moment as she walked confidently passed several nurses, taking careful note of their uniforms as the plan formed in her mind. She had walked enough of the corridors to know where the central nurses' station was and seen a handful of the doctors, all of whom seemed to be men; she was confident she could pass off for being a new nurse and her innocent-visitor game was getting her nowhere slowly.

Deciding she needed to obtain a uniform from somewhere or someone, she quickly executed what felt like a rather elaborate plan involving a spare monitoring machine, a few careful tweaks to its system before waiting for the resulting chaos to allow her to abscond with a uniform. It was horribly uncomfortable and to Sakura's eyes a little demeaning, still she swiftly put it on and altered her appearance slightly, though the only form that for some reason popped into her head at that moment, was Ayame; Sakura just hoped that no one had ever had dealings with Ichikaru Ramen.

She waited until the other nurses were starting to trickle noisily back down the corridor as she opened the door and peeked around it,

"Who are you?" One of the more boisterous ones called out, jabbing a finger in her general direction as she spoke – this one immediately reminded Sakura strongly of Ino when they were younger.

"Ah… I'm Nakahisa Rio, I just transferred here – can you tell me where the supervisor is?" The suspicious looks she got in return weren't terribly helpful,

"Transferred from where? We don't accept foreign workers here."

"Oh no, I came from a small village in the north west of Earth, my doctor let me come here for a few days to learn some new skills." Sakura insisted, keeping her voice meek.

"Where did you get the uniform?" The bossy one asked again, stepping forwards slightly, though still keeping well within the group, apparently less confident than she was pretending to be.

"I met with the supervisor yesterday briefly, but he didn't give any more information that to be here today at this time and to wear this uniform." Sakura looked over the whole group carefully, "You know, I'd heard that there were ninja nurses working here, I'd always wanted to see some of their skills!" The undercover kuniochi's voice was purposefully light and innocent – though the reaction she got could not have been more polar opposite.

 

"Ugh! Have you been living in a hay-barn, Rio-chan? The ninja's aren't here anymore, they were kicked out ages ago and a good thing too, with all their snooty techniques we only got to make tea and scrub bedpans! Damn ninjas, they're no good to anybody except themselves…"

"O-oh." She did her best to come across as truly disappointed, the other nurse huffed irritably,

"Well, whatever, come on, I'll take you to Hijikawa- _hakase_  [doctor] – he'll know what to do with you." She turned abruptly on her heel and strode down the corridor, Sakura followed a little sheepishly, half glad to be out from under the derisive stares of the group.

"Hijikawa- _hakase_ ," The nurse knocked on the door whilst she drawled out in name but barged straight in, the doctor looked up from his pile of notes, his eyes squinting over his glasses from the need to refocus his vision so quickly,

"Yes, nurse, what is it?"

"This is some new nurse from up North who was apparently sent here for training." She flopped her hand out irritatedly towards Sakura,

"I'm sorry, I can't say I remember you, ah...?" He began, turning more in his chair to face her,

"Nakahisa Rio… and I do get told I don't have a very memorable face." She began shyly, scratching at the back of her neck in embarrassment despite the condescending snort issued by the other nurse.

 

"Yes, thank you Misa." The doctor dismissed her and he focused properly on the newcomer, rising to his feet, "I apologise, no matter how much they complained about not having enough work whilst the shinobi medics ran the hospital, they seem now to think they are the only medical expertise that exist, despite doing as little work as possible." Hijikawa spoke amiably, his manner warm and gentle.

"Oh! I had really hoped to see some medical ninja in action, but I've been told they don't work here any more." Sakura kept her game up.

"Yes, regretfully, they were told they were no longer allowed to practice their ninjutsu in the hospital." He began to shuffle some papers on his desk and Sakura took the opportunity to to push for a little more information,

"What about the other shinobi in the village? Why would they just ban ninjutsu in the hospital? I thought they were superior techniques?"

"Indeed they were, but after the last war the Lords decided that they could not sustain the village by continuing to fund the ninja after we lost so badly. So the ninja were allowed to find civilian jobs if they chose." He explained, his attention still on his desk, Sakura nodded carefully to herself.

"But, I thought the ninja brought in more funds when they completed missions?" She asked and Hijikawa looked sharply over his shoulder.

"You seem to know a lot about shinobi, Nakahisa-san."

"Oh, a shinobi came to our village one time and I took the opportunity to find out as much as he would tell me." She could help her eyes averting in embarrassment, though it seemed to aid her innocent pretence as he seemed to buy it well enough.

"Well, it's a shame you won't be able to observe their techniques, but the situation is what it is. What skills did you need to brush up on?"

"Ah… well, I struggle occasionally with identification of viral infections and I was hoping to do some research here and maybe get some advice." Thank Kami-sama for Tsunade's teachings which made her so good at thinking on her feet.

"Yes, yes I can help you with that definitely, but what areas do you specialise in? How might you be able to help us around the hospital?"

"Well, I suppose I have the most experience in treating emergencies – breaks, bleeding and so on; though I am quite used to handling the personalities of those suffering with chronic conditions." She offered a small smile which was easily returned by Hijikawa, though he seemed to take a long moment considering her.

Sakura's career as a medic had meant she'd met a lot of different types of people – and she knew the look of a lecherous old man as soon as she saw it and this was  _not_  one of those times. He was clearly a perceptive man and the kuniochi had the distinct feeling he knew more about her than he was letting on.

 

…

 

Kakashi wasn't feeling so well – his body felt hot and his limbs a little shaky, he tried to focus on the text in front of him, but wasn't having so much luck; he'd managed to sneak a peek at the small room which held records and as suspiciously easy as he'd found the whole thing he had to admit that there weren't so many times he'd spent breaking into civilian buildings. He hadn't got far – at least, not far enough to find anything that suggested a thing about the virus – when his became aware of just how awful he felt; as it seemed to get worse by each passing moment Kakashi felt less and less sure what to do. He needed to find Sakura, his first fear being that the virus had finally begun to raise its ugly head and he would be completely out of action in a very short space of time. Whilst he still had some strength in him, he took an obvious gamble and summoned Pakkun.

"Kakashi! Twice in the same week, I'm starting to think about retirement." The small dog spoke blandly as the swirls of smoke dissipated, but he quickly noticed all was not well with his master, "You don't smell right, Kakashi, what's wrong?"

"I…think I've been infected by that same virus that got you… I going to head to the hospital where Sakura is, but I need you to find her and prepare a room for me to meet her." Kakashi was leaning more heavily on the small table as Pakkun nodded hastily, "I there's pretty much no shinobi presence left in this village, but please be careful Pakkun, the civilians are very anti-ninja by the looks of it." the Copy Nin reached uneasily down to pull the _haitai-ate_  off the dog's head before gesturing that the  _ninken_  was free to leave. The small dog was genuinely starting to worry as he yipped shortly before dashing away – that virus was bad news and Kakashi could be in real trouble. The dog, at the moment, was only grateful for the fact it was dark and perhaps his master would be more easily able to slip through the town without being seen.

 

Kakashi snuck from the room as quietly as he was able, his disguise was starting to need every ounce of his concentration to keep in place and his normally sure-footed nature had to take back seat as he nearly stumbled over an uneven cobblestone. Eventually he made it to the hospital and he shuffled around to the back of the building, he waited for a painfully long five minutes for the civilian nurse by the door to finish his cigarette before he dared approach any further,  _where the hell is Sakura?_  He thought forcefully as he side-stepped into a nearby corridor to avoid the same nurse who was still signing a clipboard, another nurse appeared from around a corner, smiling at the male as she made her way towards Kakashi – he mentally cursed and looked for a way to hide but she was upon him before he could move more than a couple of steps.

"Kakashi." She whispered, stepping up to him and placing a hand on his forehead, "Shit, you really have a fever, Pakkun distract that nurse would you please?" He didn't hesitate for a second and quickly ran up to the the man's feet, yipping up at him and leading him out the door by nearly letting him pet his head before leaping away a few paces and wagging his tail in the way he'd seen other, normal dogs do when trying to play with their owners. Sakura gripped nearly all of Kakashi's weight as she took him by the arm and he slumped onto her, she ferried him quickly down a few corridors until they arrived at the vacant room she'd found, she slipped them inside and closed the door as quietly as she dared and set Kakashi on the bed – just in time for his henge no jutsu suddenly dispelled and all that was left was an unconscious Copy Ninja laid flat out on the hospital bed.

Sakura took a moment to calm herself before she gathered her chakra, lifted up his shirt and laid a hand on his bare chest, half praying that he'd just eaten something funny at breakfast; unfortunately, they had no such luck and Sakura could clearly feel the markers for the virus cavorting about in his cells and bloodstream. She hurried over to the nearby table where she'd managed to prep a quick bowl for the _daikoudan no jutsu_ , but just as she'd laced it with chakra and lifted her hand up, the ball of liquid clinging to her, the door opened and snapped shut again very quickly; she turned to face the same elderly man she'd met a couple of hours earlier,

"Hi-Hijikawa- _hakase_ …" She spoke tensing.

"I had thought you seemed a little sharp for a just being a simple village girl." His expression was hard, though he didn't move for a moment, "And here I find you about to perform a  _daikoudan no jutsu_ on none other than Kakashi of the Sharingan."

 

* * *

 

"All right, so today we've already run over the seals for the  _bunshin no jutsu_  – is everyone happy on what seals to make and in what order?" Sasuke asked, glancing over his room full of students,

"Yes, Sasuke-sensei." A majority chorused back,

"If anyone isn't happy, please say so now." There was a pervading silence and no one that Sasuke saw seemed to look uneasy so he nodded and proceeded to gather his chakra, but before he could so much as raise his hands to form the first seal, the  _fusuma_  door slid open, revealing an ANBU;

"Uchiha-san, the Godaime requests your presence immediately." He spoke in a clear and authoritative tone, despite his hidden face, the class of pre-Genin gasped and whispered in apparent awe and fear.

"Hai," Sasuke responded sharply, before casting a stern glance over the class to silence them, "I will need to find a substitute teacher to mind the class–"

"I am to accompany you back, I will wait here whilst you find one." The ANBU cut across, whatever Tsunade wanted, it apparently could  _not_  wait; Sasuke nodded and marched swiftly from the classroom as all remaining eyes locked onto the young member of Konoha's secret service. The young masked man had faced many dangers in his career and held his resolve, but something about having twenty pairs of childish eyes starting at him unblinkingly made him want to turn and run very swiftly from the room. Thankfully Sasuke returned with another teacher after a few minutes and he was glad of the opportunity to leave the academy and return to his temporary post on guard duty at the Hokage's tower.

 

"Tsunade-sama, you requested to see me?" Sasuke asked politely as he stepped into the room, his eyes falling over the elderly man with two aides at his side sat on a seat beside the Godaime's desk, he couldn't be much less than about eighty or ninety, Sasuke thought and was at a loss as to why he'd be here.

"Yes, Sasuke. This man is the Abbot Naidime Yuoi – he is the head of the Fire Temple and the Fire Nation's spiritual leader, has requested to speak with you." Tsunade spoke gently, whilst the Abbot remained seated, his eyes fixed on Sasuke, the only thing about him that didn't seem tired.

"Uchiha Sasuke-san." The Abbot began slowly, "I do not know if you are aware, but I once met with your brother, Itachi-san; back before the outbreak of the Fourth War. I must admit, against better judgement I formed a high opinion of him – he had asked for an audience and behaved himself respectfully." Yuoi paused for a moment, though for dramatic effect or to regain his breath or both, Sasuke wasn't sure, "He asked for me to pass on a message to you when I saw you, I imagine he had meant it to be within a few months though it wasn't to be. Recently, I have been deep in meditation and you came under my mind's eye's gaze during that time. Apparently Itachi had implanted knowledge within my mind using his sharingan which was previously unknown to me and the message came into my consciousness as a result. Since you were not near me at the time, I could not pass on the information directly as Itachi had wished, but I wrote it all down as swiftly and accurately as I could as soon as I awoke from meditation.

"The message was deeply important to Itachi that you know this, Sasuke-san, I have here all of the memories that I had from him – I could not send this through courier bird it was too risky, but I wish for you to read it now. Perhaps, if I still remember enough you can find out more through your sharingan that lingers in my mind," Sasuke felt suddenly frozen to the spot, as if some alien chakra had bound his feet to the wooden floors.

"Wh… I don't understand, Abbot…"

"Please, Sasuke-san, read the documents." The Abbot held out a large bundle of papers to his aide who took them and offered them to Sasuke, the Uchiha took a hold of them tentatively, still uncertain as to whether to believe the whole situation; thankfully Tsunade stepped in.

"I appreciate this is a lot to take in, Sasuke, but the Abbot is a very well respected man throughout the Fire nation – and has always remained a neutral party in conflicts, it makes sense that if Itachi truly had something to tell you that he couldn't himself, then the Abbot would have been a logical choice." Despite the words from the Hokage, Sasuke still hesitated;

"Sasuke-san, there is a lot to read there, take them home with you – though please keep them safe – I am tired from my journey and I need to rest; I am certain you will have questions for me in the morning, we can speak again then." The Abbot spoke in a voice that now betrayed more of his fatigue,

"Hai… thank you Abbot, for taking the trouble to pass this on to me." Sasuke remembered his new-found manners at last.

"I was glad to." He seemed to take a look over the Uchiha, "Itachi-san would be very pleased to see the man you've become, I think." At that remark, however, Sasuke could not help his eyebrows twitching in reflecting rejection of the Abbot's words. Thankfully, however, the monk ignored the potentially disrespectful gesture and turned back to Tsunade.

"If I might retire now, Hokage-sama."

"Of course, Abbot, I will show you to the rooms where you and your aides may rest for as long as you wish," Tsunade rose to her feet, before addressing Sasuke again, "Take the rest of the day off and tomorrow too; read it all carefully and be back here for nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Hai, Tsunade–sama."

"Dismissed."

 

..

 

.

 

_A/n - just in case the name Uchiha Teruo is one you can't remember (wouldn't blame you lol) - think back to Eiko's ~cough~ thieving childhood and her Uchiha accomplice! ~Evil grin~  
_

_Plus, I actually do have a certain respect for Itachi - I'll admit he was a man of great wisdom, despite being rather young! ^_^  
_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for such a long delay in updating, my 2019 has been crazy so far but in a good way - here's to 2019 being a year of growth and good things for us all <3


	40. Season 2: The Will Of A Brother

 

 

 

 

_Itachi was already dressed and creeping down the steps of his family home – it was just before four in the morning and he wasn't willing to risk waking any of the rest of his family; as much of a teenager as he was, his sneaking about was for the future of his clan, rather than the sake of an early rendezvous with a girlfriend. Itachi had only found that the weird old man who lived right on the Naka River was more than a crazy old Uchiha – he was a man who'd discovered more of the sharingan and its potential than any man Itachi had ever known – and all through sheer coincidence. Teruo long had a reputation as a crotchety old bastard who hated anyone and everyone, yet Itachi happened to stumble upon the man as he fished in the river – and realised just what a powerful shinobi he was._

_He'd paused to watch the old man as he'd stood in the shallows of the river bed; the bottom of his yakuta rolled up and tied around his hips, he held perfectly still for a few moments staring intently into the clear water before stepping forwards noisily splashing water and bending down. He stood up straight again with a large, perfectly still fish grasped in his hand, though just as it cleared the water, it began again to struggle and flail. The man hopped rather awkwardly back over towards the shore where he'd pinned a small bag in the water, he plonked the fish inside and stepped out of the water, shaking off the droplets from his hands._

_Their eyes locked as Itachi caught the last, fading contours of a mangekyou as it reverted to its immature, three tomoe swirl. The man averted his eyes down to his geta [wooden sandals] and slipped his feet into them, he let his robes fall back down to cover his lower legs and lifted the bag full of struggling fish out of the water._

_"You must be Itachi, Fugaku's youngest."_

_"Eldest," Itachi corrected passively, "Were you using your mangekyou to catch_ fish _?" He asked rather incredulously, although trying to keep it out of his voice, "I thought that wasn't–"_

_"Possible? Because the mangekyou is only for offensive or defensive moves? Hmm, how very Uchiha you are in your thinking." The old man murmured in an odd sort of grandfatherly way, Itachi blinked as he tried to process exactly what the man had meant,_

_"I had no idea there was someone else who'd mastered the mangekyou…"_

_"Hmm, well I have less enemies these days, I think the clan's forgotten about me." That wasn't hard to believe, he appeared to live on the very outskirts of the clan's land – Itachi himself had only ventured this far to try and find somewhere to train away from prying eyes._

_"I don't mind you training here, Fugaku's_ eldest _, but I would rather you did not disturb me or attract any other of the clan out this far, or I shall have to ban you."_

_"You can't–" Itachi couldn't get another word out before the old man reached for a kunai and threw it at him – although his movements had been lazy, Itachi found himself completely powerless to move or even utilize his own sharingan, he could only watch as the kunai's razor sharp tip flew, unnaturally slowly, ever closer towards him. His sharingan was capable of telling him that the tip was aimed right at his right eye's pupil and he was sure to lose the eye permanently but for in the fraction of a second before the tip pierced he was suddenly flat on his ass in the middle of someone's house._

_"Wh-wha–" He was able to move of his own free will again and his head whipped around to see the old man calmly stood at his kamado waiting for a pot of water to boil, "I…I don't…" Itachi had never before found himself to be at such a loss for words, or with such an inability to comprehend what had just happened._

_"You don't know a damned thing about the mangekyou… of course each one is subtly different in its power; its takes more years to master than we have gifted to us in our lives, by rights – though there are those who've perverted the natural course of things." The old man lifted the bubbling pot off the fire and poured out two cupfuls, he set a handful of leaves to steep as he took a seat at the low table, setting one of the cups out across from him, "You don't have to stay on the floor, you aren't under my control any longer." His voice was completely lacking in threat, but there were enough brains in the Chuunin to realise that this man was clearly very economical with the truth; he rose to his feet and kneeled on the zabuton in front of the table._

_"How did you do that? How did you prevent me from moving or even summoning my chakra? Then move me here?" Itachi wished he had a more articulate way of asking his questions, but he was still struggling with his own comprehension, "I know of some mangekyou which can alter a victim's perception of time and even their ability to defend themselves, but…"_

_"How much do you know about space-time ninjutsu?"_

_"They are extremely difficult to master – only the Nindaime Tobirama and the Yondaime Namikaze mastered it without a sharingan and otherwise only mangekyou users have managed to perfect such techniques."_

_"You use the word 'perfect' far too easily, they had exceptional skills yes, but they were not masters of spacetime; even the Uchiha can only take their jutsus so far, a sharingan is only a tool and a tool is only as advantageous as a user's skill." He strained his tea before handing Itachi the strainer and a small saucer, "Tell me, Fugaku's eldest, do you know how the mangekyou is obtained?"_

_"I have heard that you are to kill your closest friend."_

_"It's true, in a sense." Itachi strained his own tea before another string of questions occurred to him._

_"Why are you telling me these things? And why haven't I heard about you from the clan? I had thought that the elders wishes were to keep a very close eye on all Uchiha who obtained a mangekyou." Itachi tried to phrase his questioning as tactfully as possible, doing his best to pretend he had been called in front of the hokage; the old man merely snorted,_

_"Because I shamed the clan by befriending someone not of the clan and by protecting her from some of our more... fanatic members."_

_"I don't understand why that would have been enough."_

_"Because that young woman was widely accepted as a threat to the Uchiha clan…and they were right." The old man said._

_Itachi cocked his head slightly in confusion,_ _"A threat? How?" He asked._

_"That doesn't matter, now." He paused for a moment to take a sip of his tea, "But as to why I am telling you these things? Well, the Uchiha clan is very unstable and I have a feeling they will run into a lot of trouble very soon;" The elder focused only on his tea but Itachi didn't answer for a moment, unwilling to consider it a foregone conclusion that the man had guessed Itachi's conflicted nature; "You have already been accepted into ANBU, haven't you? A fine accomplishment for one so young."_

_"Forgive me, Uchiha-san, but I think there's more you are implying." The old Uchiha eyed him carefully for a few moments and Itachi had the distinct impression that this old man's vision was far better than his sharingan would seem to imply._

 

Sasuke hadn't gotten so far through the parchment before he stopped to make himself a cup of tea and absorb the information he'd read – Itachi had had someone who knew more about the mangekyou? As he waited for his old kettle to boil; he couldn't remember so much of the clan and he had been too young to understand the politics, but he felt sure he would have remembered some old man living on the outskirts who'd possessed a feared power. The other children would have had great fun making up stories about him, at least. A sudden knock at his door drew his attention from his scowling at the table full of papers the Abbot had written for him and Sasuke had to be honest: there was a part of him doubting the validity of some mysterious new information suddenly passed onto him. So much so, that before he'd actually read any of the information, he'd spent a good deal of time trying to recall everything he could about the Uchiha before their massacre, everything that Itachi had told him and all of his experiences during the Fourth war that allowed him to see further into the realities of the echelons of power within Konoha.

He answered the door to find Naomi on the other side,

"Hi… Tsutomu told me you left early for the day, I was wondering if you were feeling ill?"

"No, the Hokage just wanted to speak to me about a few things, I guess it took a while." Sasuke hesitated whilst still blocking the doorway, he wanted more time to read the pages uninterrupted but over the past few months he'd gotten used to spending more and more time with her and couldn't think of a justifiable reason to send her away. In the past, Sasuke had nothing but distain for the warm and gentle souls in his youth, he had learned, since being back in Konoha – and specifically with Naomi – just what a blessing they were. Her gentle approach to most things had helped Sasuke to gain an objectivity in his perspective, particularly after a tricky or disruptive class to teach. He appreciated her presence greatly, but wasn't yet ready to admit to himself just how much he'd begun to rely on her; the name Uchiha didn't apparently mean much to her and it was surprisingly refreshing having a friendship with someone built on no pretences or assumptions.

"I've just boiled the kettle, would you like a cup of tea?"

"Please." She smiled.

He stepped aside and let her into his apartment, he quickly cleared up the pieces of paper scattered over his table, before fetching another mug, "Where is Tsutomu?"

"He's staying at a friend's tonight – it's one of the Akimichi Clan's boy's birthday tomorrow."

"Ah," Sasuke set the tea to steep and turned back to face her, as she'd settled herself on the chair opposite at the table, setting the bag she'd apparently had slung over her shoulder down on the table, "What's in there?"

"Just a few ingredients, I thought I might have to make you dinner." She spoke with a small, teasing smile though Sasuke only blinked, he'd eaten lunch with them a handful of times – and once or twice Tsutomu had skipped over to him at the start of a lunch break holding up a small bento Naomi had made for him, but this felt like it was rather out of the blue. He wasn't used to anyone taking care of it him and it felt  _weird_.

"Uh…you didn't…"

"I know, but I had a free evening and wondered if you wanted any company; if I'm keeping you from something, I don't mind leaving you be. Thank you." She accepted the tea from him as he took the opposite seat,

"No, it's all right." Even to this day, his general experiences with company were limited to some rather pushy individuals who needed a lot more prompting to get the message that he wanted to be left alone.

"What were you reading? A mission outline?" Her eyes cast over the neatly stacked pile on the corner of Sasuke's counter as she changed the subject, sipping at her tea,

"No, just a few old documents that my brother left me." He spoke without really thinking,

"Oh, you have a brother?"  _Crap…_  the only thing Sasuke didn't like about Naomi was how easily she seemed to get his guard down,

" _Had_ , he… died a few years ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that; he left you something interesting to read, I hope?"

"He did, actually, I had no idea about some of the things written."

"Really?" Naomi's eyes glittered slightly – she had a great love of mysteries – "So were they about things current to him, whilst he wrote them, or back in the past?"

"In the past, back when he was still living in the–"

"In the..?"

"In Konoha." Sasuke answered stiffly. He wasn't used to being this much of an idiot.

"Ah! So quite a few years back, then?" She said and Sasuke sipped his tea uneasily, gaining the distinct impression Naomi knew a little more than she was letting on, "Are they things relevant to you, or is it more along the lines of general information?"

"A bit of both actually, a lot focused on things before I was old enough to understand them, but I'm glad this information hasn't been lost."

"Have you read it all?"

"No, not yet," Sasuke averted his own eyes to the pile, "I guess I'm getting used to the documents showing me a different side to my brother than the one I was used to… he seemed so  _young_  then."

"Hmm, Itachi-san did seem like a stern one." Naomi said as she took a sip of tea and Sasuke's eyes shot to her's as he registered her words,

"Wh… what? How do you know him?"

"Well, I don't – or rather – I didn't, but it made me curious all of the funny looks and suspicion you seemed to draw, and when you started to teach at the Academy I heard a lot of whispers from parents and teachers so I did a little research and found out a bit about the Uchiha clan." Her explanation was a little shy, ashamed almost,

"Then… do you know about… me?" Sasuke wasn't so sure what he was nervous of,

"About the time you spent as a missing nin? Yes, but not the whole story, obviously." Naomi held his gaze for a few moments as the silence pervaded, Sasuke had no idea how to respond.

"But… don't you… how..?" He asked awkwardly.

"I am not a shinobi, so there's a lot that I can't really ask about, but I heard you are the last of your clan, I can only assume that must have had some impact on you." Her words were sensitive and her voice gentle, that Sasuke almost wasn't sure whether to trust it, her.

"It did."

"I moved here not long after the Fourth War and I heard some mentions of his name, I read everything I could about the village's history, though his name wasn't included is a lot of it which I thought was a bit odd considering the things said about him and the rather hushed tones they spoke about him in," She spoke rather nonchalantly, but Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly at the unexpected insighfulness of her reasoning,

Naomi allowed the silence and Sasuke's suspicious eyes to hold for a little while longer before she spoke again, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but you'd always been rather quiet about your past and I'd though it rude to just bring it up myself...There are a lot of questions I want to ask you, but-"

"I don't want to talk about it." He answered rather shortly allowing his arms to fold across his chest, but Naomi merely shrugged,

"Well I can't force you; would you like a cup of sake to take your mind off it?" She reached into her bag, the nin opposite her eventually capitulated and nodded. Naomi smiled to herself: he might be stubborn, but he was still a man and like most men she knew, they weren't hard to get around.

 

* * *

 

"Hijikawa-hakase," Sakura began, turning her back slowly to Kakashi, though very conscious of how quickly his condition could deteriorate if she didn't act swiftly, she dropped her handful of water back into the bowl and addressed her full attention onto the elderly man at the doorway.

"Who are you?" He didn't move initially as he questioned her, his eyes still taking in the entirety of the scene; Sakura dispelled her henge,

"I am Haruno Sakura of Konoha." She said and Hijikawa's eyes widened slightly as he looked over the kuniochi,

"H-Haruno Sakura? Apprentice to Tsunade?"

"Hai."

"I heard all about your skills – both as a combatant and and a medic during the Fourth War – but I never thought I'd get a chance to meet you." He words held an air of reverence she hadn't been expecting.

"I take it you are one of the former shinobi who accepted a civilian job?" Sakura pushed quickly,

"Hai, but we didn't meet in the War as I had hoped." He explained. Sakura wasn't entirely sure what to make of the situation and was starting to feel a little uncomfortable under Hijikawa's awed stare,

"Um… Hijikawa-hakase, if you're going to fight me, could we please get on with it? I have a patient here who needs urgent treatment."

"Oh, oh! Of course, Haruno-san, please, continue with your treatment, I will make sure no one disturbs you." Sakura had her doubts – her first instinct was to assume Hijikawa was using a very archaic method of gaining the upper hand, but Kakashi was her main priority as she swiftly turned her attention to performing a  _daikoudan no jutsu_  and extracted as much of the virus as she was able.

"Fascinating! My own  _daikoudan_  is much rougher, your technique is flawless." Hijikawa complemented easily as he approached Sakura; she whipped a kunai from seemingly nowhere and pointed it towards the man.

"I appreciate the complements, Hijikawa-hakase, but until I understand your intentions I must act cautiously."

The man hesitated and took half a step backwards, his hands raising defensively. "Ah, Haruno-san, I have no ill intention towards you – Iwa might have once been enemies to Konoha, but after the Fourth war and Iwa's implosion, I can't say I have any reason to consider you my adversary. But, what are you doing in Iwagakure?" Sakura looked swiftly over to Kakashi as he gave a short groan, shifting his position ever so slightly.

 

"Hijikawa, have you heard of any viral outbreak in Iwa over the past few months? Have there been any mysterious illnesses here?" Sakura asked suddenly and he took a few moments to think it over.

"Back when the districts were severely controlled, I was sure there was an instance of some unknown illness within the Orsha district, I believe… but only a handful of people were ill and they cleared up pretty quickly after treatment from the temporary medical facility they'd set up. They didn't seem to want to involve any of the skilled former shinobi medics."

"And that didn't strike you as odd?" Sakura pushed.

Hijikawa shrugged, "We had very limited contact with the other districts, the extent that we heard about it was only to tell us that it wasn't contagious and that it had been limited to the victims already identified." Sakura cocked her head slightly still not quite understanding.

"I would still have been very suspicious of that."

"Yes, but the lords started to become very strict, a lot of the shinobi and civilians who disregarded the rules or asked too many questions of the other districts were punished, a lot of the younger people had begun families after the post war boom – the relative peace and focus on the development of Iwa's infrastructure made many feel more safe than they had done for a while. I think many simply felt they had too much to risk."

"I find it hard to accept that the shinobi or Tsuchikage would have allowed that to happen."

"Yes, but the lords had control of almost all of the funds, they kept squeezing tighter and tighter until the Tsuchikage had power in name only… and he couldn't very well use any force on the lords."

"…No, I guess not." Sakura lowered her kunai though still wasn't quite sure how to deal with the former shinobi; the sound of people passing loudly past the door, however, had them both freeze.

"I am not trying to mislead you, Haruno-san, if I can help you, I would like to." He did seem to be completely genuine,

"But why? What will you get out of it?"

"Please help me to escape Iwa? I'm not asking to be brought to Konoha, I just want the opportunity to leave here." Hijikawa pressed.

"Why can't you do that on your own?"

"The districts fell apart but there are still strict regulations on those moving in and out of Iwa… there are still a handful of shinobi guarding the lords an keeping an eye on things, particularly the former shinobi. They're the only ones allowed to still use their ninja skills."

"Well, then, Hijikawa-hakase, if you wouldn't mind making sure no one disturbs us, I think we might well be able to come to some agreement." Sakura said, she couldn't very well continue to doubt him when they were on such thin ice to begin with.

"O-of course, I'll make up some excuse to keep everyone out of this end of the corridor."

"Thank you." He was gone in a moment and Sakura's mind began to whirr, Hijikawa's explanation still didn't answer everything – ANBU must have detected the reduction in Iwa's military personnel, or in the very least to have noticed Iwa had made no gains in military expansion when all of the other hidden villages had at least kept their armaments constant; there was still too much that just didn't make sense. But it would have to be sorted out later, she turned back to Kakashi and laid her hands on his chest. There were traces of virus in his system still, but his blood pressure, heart rate and temperature had dropped back down to nearly normal levels, she decided to give him a good couple of hours rest, though not before she got him to drink some water.

"Kakashi, wake up."

"Hgn."

"Kakashi, you need to drink something." She lifted his head slightly, and brought a fresh cup of water to his lips, he took a few sips, but not much more, "Sorry, I know you're tired." He thumped his head back down on the small pillow and his eye closed immediately, she replaced his mask for him, though took a moment just to look. Kakashi certainly looked tired – the sort of fatigue that illness seemed to breed – she stroked gently over his cheek as the sentimental part of her wished they were back in Konoha without a shred of trouble to disturb them.

She sighed and straightened up, she needed access to as many records as she could get her hands on and quickly. Kakashi would be fine for the next few hours at least as long as no one discovered him here and Sakura reckoned she should be able to complete their mission and get the hell out of this 'village'.

 

* * *

 

Sasuke blinked though the light of the sun peeking in through the gap in his curtains which was at just the right angle to singe his retinas, he lifted himself off the sofa and half crinkled the pages beneath his feet; he'd stayed up almost the entire night reading through the remaining pages that his brother had left him through the Abbot. Itachi had trained extensively with Teruo and had, through their eventual relationship learned some vital, though uncertain things:

_"Haa, I learned these things a long time ago; I had a rather rebellious youth."_

_"How so?" Itachi asked, panting slightly as he sat on the cool grass opposite to Teruo._

_"I had a partner in crime and she seemed to take great joy in goading me on," The man smiled slightly, "She feared nothing and nobody and ironically, she taught me more about the sharingan and its forms than any clan member could have."_

_"I don't understand."_

_"Well, she died a few years before your time, but the Uchiha held a real gru_ _dge against her. They tried so many times to kill her, but…" Teruo looked suddenly sad, as if recalled a regretful memory; Itachi held his tongue for a while, allowing him to continue at his own pace, "I often had my eyes on her, though she didn't know it; I would have loved to have married her though the clan would never have approved it – if I got too close to her they would have killed her, quicker than they did, at least, so I had to stay away. The best I could do was to watch from afar and alter the attacks or traps my clansmen left for her._

_"We were such good friends as children, but as I came to leave the academy and begin my shinobi training proper, my father grew more and more hostile to my being friends with non-clan members; he kept me away from them with rigorous training in the evening and endless clan meetings. Still, I found the time to sneak out and talk with her occasionally, though she was irritated by my indoctrination into clan dogma. I suppose for a while my inclusion made me feel important, like I was finally a ninja… but I realise now how I'd been fooled. We drifted apart and she got closer to others, after her father died and her mother had to take more and more long haul missions; as her own work focused more on chakra analysis and weapons development, the Uchiha became more convinced she would use it against them and stepped up their attacks._

_"By then she had aid from others – though she would still talk to me every now and then – I was still a fool though, I couldn't help being jealous of the man that married her and I always looked for flaws in his plans for that reason alone. She was safer on missions and when she became pregnant and was taken off active duty – aside from having developed numerous jutsu the Uchiha would have loved to get their hands on, they had finally decided Eiko was too dangerous to be left alive; whenever Sakumo was on a mission and I wasn't, I watched her day and night. Three times the Uchiha tried and three times they failed because of my sharingan; at first I was very careful to mislead them and not allow them to realise I was behind their failures, but as Eiko grew less able to defend herself and they grew more suspicious at her avoidance of attacks that should have killed her, I had to be bolder._

_"I had had nothing but a bad feeling all the way back from my mission and just as I left the Hokage tower, I found the White Fang waiting for me, he and I had spoken little, but he spoke swiftly and plainly about Eiko's condition and I could not put aside my issue with him fast enough; he'd told me that a medic had found nothing in her system and I agreed to look with my sharingan. She looked so ill and was breathing so shallowly, I had to resist the urge to act as I wished to – to say goodbye – in front of her husband. She had been caught by one of the clan's chakra kunai's – one of my chakra knives – I designed which incorporated a minute amount of chakra into it to disrupt the chakras of the enemy. The more chakra the user charges it with the longer the victim's chakra would have been disrupted – they must have drained half of their chakra to disrupt hers so badly and for so long that it killed her."_

_Itachi merely stared at the man as his sipped from his water bottle, Teruo seemed to be in own world as he reminisced about his past, "What was Eiko-san's surname?"_

_"Hmm? Her maiden name was Urushima… she emigrated from Iwagakure."_

_"Urushima… I've heard that name – she worked mostly with the research and development teams, didn't she?" Itachi asked._

_"Hai, but in the years that lead up the the Third war she was called on more and more missions, though I believe she kept a lot of her designs and research private or at least kept copies of it; we collaborated for a little bit before she married Sakumo, but as it began to get more dangerous for her, I guess she began to suspect me somewhat and didn't want to give all her secrets away, just in case."_

_"Sakumo…was he..?"_

_"The White Fang? Yes – Eiko made him the tant_ _ō_ _that gave him that name, they were a good match… but she and I would have been better."_

_Itachi ignored Teruo's self-indulgence for the moment, "How exactly did you fool the other clan members using only a sharingan? Did you have your mangekyou by that point?"_

_"No… I was responsible for Eiko's death – I developed those chakra kunai to use against my own clansmen if they threatened her too much but they stole it from me and used it against her. I killed her and she gave me my mangekyou sharingan despite it."_

_"How did the clan react to that?" The mangekyou was extremely rare, even within the clan – they would not have allowed a mangekyou to go unchecked in an untrusted user._

_"They didn't, they didn't know, I was skilled enough with my normal sharingan – they knew I kept to myself and that had an old association with Eiko. It would have raised too much suspicion, I would have been targeted and blinded or killed." Teruo was still withholding a lot of information from him and Itachi wasn't finding it so easy to tactfully ask for more._

_"What means of defeating a sharingan user with a three-tomoe sharingan did you figure out?"_

_"Many, the mangekyou is a powerful tool with which a user had access to more power, but the sharingan makes its owner arrogant and careless – even the simplest of jutsu can be the downfall of mighty shinobi."_

Sasuke had to agree – his weak  _Tsukikomi_  had been key in defeating Danzo all those years ago, despite his own questionable motives.

_"I know, but I am curious as to exactly how – how could you have fooled the other clansmen into believing they had missed a strike? Or that they had simply been beaten by a non-Uchiha without the power of the mangekyou?"_

_"Your thinking is still so linear, Itachi-chan, but I cannot reveal all of my secrets to you so soon… not when there is still so much training to do. You aren't above the other Uchiha yet."_

 

A sudden feminine murmur drew his attention, and his distracted mind pondered for a moment until he remembered Naomi had spent the night – they had drunk a little saké though she had apparently much less of a tolerance than he possessed, still he rose to his feet and peeked around the corner to his bedspace. She was sat up, scratching the side of her head slightly looking rather bewildered, her normally straight, long black hair had bunched and curled a little in the night – making her look more vulnerable than Sasuke had ever seen.

"Naomi, are you feeling all right?" Her eyes met his for a moment and Sasuke couldn't seem to tear himself away,

"S-Sasuke? What happened?"

"You feel asleep after we drank too much – I slept on the sofa."

"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't–"

"It's fine." He cut across, as she moved to get out of bed, "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Yes, please," He nodded and turned away, doing his best to crush his desire to walk a little closer to her; he set a pot of water to boil as he tried to push thoughts of Naomi out of his head.

He needed to speak to Kakashi.

 

* * *

 

Kakashi coughed himself into full wakefulness, groaning slightly at the pain of having such an uncontrolled movement rack his body whilst it was still so weak; his bleary right eye looked about the slowly focusing room as he remembered he was still in the hospital. His eye fell upon a dozing Sakura in the chair beside him, her henge had lost its form, her mouth was slightly opened and she was covered in a sea of paperwork. She looked utterly exhausted.

He smiled lightly at the fact he found the sight of her rather adorable, he glanced about a little further around finding a glass of water at his bedside which he gratefully reached for, he struggled for a moment, angling himself to pull down his mask and take a sip much needed water – he felt like he hadn't drunk any in days. It took a moment for his stomach to adapt to suddenly having something to absorb after what must have been longer than it seemed since his last meal, but it refreshed him and he drained the glass. He found the strength to sit up as his mind was now able to better focus on the situation: mostly, as to why they were both in hospital and without any cover.

"Sakura." He called out, suddenly aware just how shaky his legs still felt, "Sakura, wake up," He spoke a little more loudly, though still aware that they could be under threat, he perched uneasily on the edge of the bed, still not allowing his legs to take his full weight before the door suddenly opened and Kakashi involuntarily tensed, searching in vain for his chakra.

"Please relax, Hatake-san." The elderly man spoke softly, though excitedly, quickly closing the door behind him, nearly trapping the tail of his lab coat in the process, "I am no enemy of yours and I'm glad to see that you are awake, how do you feel?" Kakashi didn't answer immediately, his left eye flicking over to a still sleeping Sakura; "She must have stayed up for most of the night; she's really been pushing herself to find a cure."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Yatsu Hijikawa-hakase, supervisor of this hospital; I was once a shinobi but since I was forced from my career, my alliance to Iwagakure has vanished." His explanation was relaxed and apparently sincere but he wasn't prepared to let his guard down completely.

"That doesn't entirely explain why you're helping Sakura and I." Kakashi asked, feeling the strain of his exhaustion but doing his best not to show it.

"Hatake-san, I have spent my life devoting myself to becoming a medical ninja and Iwa had no compunction about ripping that away from me, I see no reason to keep on devoting myself to a village that does not care about its citizens or shinobi." Hijikawa met Kakashi's eye for a few moments as both men sized each other up. "I appreciate this might not be easy to accept since Iwa and Konoha have been enemies for many years, but the world is not the same as when we grew up; there is no Iwagakure any longer and as such I have no reason to bear a grudge against you. You earned a great deal of my respect during the Fourth War and before."

"That's very flattering, but–"

"I knew Urushima-san well, she spoke highly of you and I was very pleased to realise that she'd managed to leave here."

"You… knew Riika?" Kakashi was almost suspicious now, "How?"

"She was ill like many others from the Orsha district, she was a very strong willed woman and an exceptional shinobi in her day."

"Riika was ill here at a time when many others were getting ill too? Do you know where Riika worked? What was her civilian job?"

"Ah, I think she worked in the administration building, when there was one, but only when there were big meetings or the Lords came to interfere."

"That sounds like taking rather a risk to have someone they knew could be infected working in a central building… and an unacceptable one if the daimyos were visiting…" Kakashi's brain shuffled the pieces as he analysed them – if a vaccine or cure had been developed and was given to the likes of those he'd mediated with – but  _not_  the lords or anyone else, they had a long running advantage: if an opponent disagreed, they would be swiftly dispatched in a completely untraceable way.

Kakashi jerked to his feet in realisation but the sudden movement caused a rush of blood to his head and he nearly staggered at the dizzy feeling.

"Whoa, whoa, Hatake-san, you are still quite ill, Haruno-san wasn't able to cure you completely."

"She wasn't?"

"No, please rest, Hatake-san, you aren't helping anyone by pushing yourself beyond your limits at a time like this." Hijikawa stretched out his arms in a typical expression of doctor reassurance and direction, urging him to lie down on the bed again;

"Hai… can I have another glass of water, please?"

Hijikawa's eyes flicked to the empty glass, "Of course, I'll be right back." He was out of the door after a quick look around to make sure no one was right outside; as soon as the door clicked closed behind him, Kakashi's eye averted to Sakura, who immediately shifted.

"You're awake." She said, sitting up a little and stretching her arms above her head.

"I was waiting to say that to you." He rebutted with a light smile, "Did we wake you?"

"Yes, but that was interesting about Riika's infection but being allowed to work in the admin building, I'd thought I'd let the conversation progress."

"Well, it explains where Riika's infection came from and potentially the answer to where a vaccine is, out there."

"True, it would make sense that most of the shinobi you deal with would have been given a vaccine, so that they could be above any suspicion if some others in the building displayed symptoms." Sakura said as she rose to her feet and walked over to his bedside.

"Like those serving tea." Kakashi stated.

"Right. Who did you deal with regularly? Was there an aide or other shinobi who handled you guys primarily?" Sakura asked as she laid her hands on Kakashi to check him over, her warm chakra flowing into his system a welcome comfort, though it was swiftly shattered as a familiar, though disliked face popped into his mind's eye:

"Ashikino Peikou."

"Isn't he in Konoha's prison right now?" Sakura asked, the hot trickle of frustration coursed its way through her.

"He is, we need to send a message to Tsunade."

"Kami-sama… to think what we were looking for was right under our noses." Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I know," Kakashi sighed, also feeling that the mission was almost half wasted, "But we've got some invaluable information and we have the opportunity to learn a lot more… if this stupid virus doesn't kill me first."

Sakura fixed him with a flat stare. "Don't say that Kakashi, you're under my watch, remember?"

"Hai, but I'm not so much of a young man anymore."

"Haha, I'm sure you still have enough youthful vigour in you." She grinned back and leaned down, pulling down his mask enough to kiss him, as much as she wanted to kiss him proper, she knew Hijikawa would be soon back and she didn't think it wise to let him in on any more secrets of theirs.

"You probably still feel a little crappy and my chakra still needs a bit longer to recover, but I'll have to do another  _daikoudan no jutsu_  on you in a little while, in the mean time are you hungry?"

" _Starving._ "She replaced his mask and turned to scoop up all of the paperwork, "Did you find anything useful?" He asked.

"Yeah, a couple of potentially curious things, but nothing concrete, I'm afraid;" She set the pages on the small bedside table next to Kakashi, "You know hospitals, there's rarely anything appetising, but I'll do my best to find you something hearty, at least."

"Thank you, Sakura." His hand found hers and he squeezed gently, she smiled back and they let go moments before Hijikawa returned.

 

"Ah! Haruno-san, you're awake as well, you got some rest despite the unfortunate chair, I hope."

"Yes, thank you, Hijikawa-hakase, but Kakashi and I are hungry – is there a cafeteria in this hospital?"

"There's only a minor service for patients who have to stay overnight, but it has to be put through the system specially, it'll draw attention; there is a good little vendor in the next street – they do excellent sushi bento, if you like that."

"I do!" Sakura exclaimed,

"Good, you can buy two and if anyone asks, tell them I asked for one as well; I've already eaten but it was in my office, no one saw."

"Hai, thank you."

"Um…how exactly are you avoiding suspicion despite being in here all the time? And how is this room being kept off the radar?" Kakashi asked as he settled himself more comfortably on the bed.

"Oh, we have a few clones doing rounds, though we only use them for a few short minutes, only enough to avoid anyone asking questions about where we are," Hijikawa answered, "And I cordoned off the end of this corridor with a few working signs and some choice words."

"Doesn't sound very secure." Kakashi said.

"Its worked so far, and the best cover we have is not to make anything seem too desperate; right now at least." Sakura offered, before she turned to leave, "Any requests for the bento, Kakashi?"

"That sushi sounds good." She smiled and was gone; Hijikawa looked at Kakashi for a long moment as he poured out another glass of water from the jug he brought in with him,

"How long have you two been together?" He asked, his words were casual, but he'd hit the bullseye and knew it before Kakashi even reacted.

"What?!"

"Haha, it's quite obvious but nothing to be ashamed of, she's a wonderful woman and a skilled ninja."

"Ah… um, Hijikawa-san, I'd rather–"

"I didn't bring it up? Of course, I just couldn't help but notice." Hijikawa smiled to himself as Kakashi frowned slightly disliking being so transparent after having spent his life doing his best to make himself invisible. He really couldn't wait to find what they needed from Iwa and get the hell out of this god-forsaken place.

 

…

 

Sakura sighed as she sent the message off, grateful that she'd taken the time to learn a new summon; it wasn't entirely tested out, but Sakura trusted it would deliver the message, which was encoded for good measure. She and Tsunade had developed a good code language between them which was obscure yet seemingly common enough to throw off all but the most over-zealous hackers. She was rather deep in the woods and took a few moments to enjoy the peace and quiet, away from the stress of trying to blend into an unfamiliar and doubtlessly hostile village. She didn't want to but turned and hopped between the tree-branches on her way back to Iwa, when voices drew her attention, she slowed to a halt and listened, hiding in foliage.

"Ahaha, Chou-chan, you can't say things like that, it's rude!" A young woman's voice – carefree and relaxed,

"Then why are you laughing, Yana?" That voice, the male one was strikingly familiar. Sakura cocked her head as she waited for them to walk into view.

"I'm…  _not!"_  Yana's attempt to control her laughter and sound contrite failed miserably, but they suddenly appeared in Sakura's field of vision and she had to stop herself choking on her own spit: Akimichi Chouji and Yana – the woman they'd saved from rogues Waterfall nin whilst recapturing Sasuke – walking arm in arm down the vague path adjacent to Sakura's trajectory, she slapped a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from calling out to him or shouting a curse word; what the hell was Chouji doing out here? Was he just on a  _date_?

They continued chatting and wandering, in no obvious hurry as Sakura wondered if Chouji was aware of their mission…or even if he could be of any use to herself and Kakashi if they ran into any trouble. She allowed them to pass by but kept up, deciding to take the opportunity to find out where they were staying, even if they didn't need his help, Chouji could possibly have sensed her presence. He wasn't an idiot, but he could hold useful information or help to regularly report back from Iwa if his interest in this girl was serious; she followed them for almost another half-hour before Chouji sighed and stopped.

"Chou-chan, what is it?" Yana asked innocently,

"I'm sorry – but I'm feeling the call of nature, if you'd give me a moment?"

"O-oh, of course." She blushed slightly, unlatching her arm from the crook of his an stepping away a little sheepishly; Chouji smiled again and stepped behind a tree – though kept going until he was sure he was out of ear-shot from one of the girls apparently keeping him company. Sakura dropped from the tree in front of him,

"Chouji!"

"Sakura, why are you here? What's going on?" He whispered earnestly,

"I'm sorry to have followed you, Kakashi and I are on a mission here, what are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm just on a date, you remember the girl we saved–"

"From when we captured Sasuke, yes, yes, I know; listen, how long are you here for?" She asked quickly, though Chouji only shrugged,

"To the end of the week or so."

"Don't hold your breath, but there's a vague possibility I might need to call on you for a bit of aid, if you'd be willing to lend a hand?" Chouji pursed his lips slightly,

"I was really looking forward to my week off…" He began reproachfully, though Sakura quickly put on her puppy-dog eyes, "But I guess this is what I get for choosing a holiday spot so close to the Iwagakure border." He sighed,

" _Yes!_  Thank you Chouji, I really hope we won't need your help, but things are tricky in Iwa, you know how they are." She grinned at him, though he only fixed her with an unimpressed stare back.

"Yeah, I know… just please don't butt in on my dates for so long again, please?"

"You got it," She grinned at him and leapt back into the tree, offering a quick thumbs up to him before disappearing for good; Chouji huffed irritatedly before walking back over to Yana,  _couldn't he get five damn minutes of peace?_

"Sorry about that."

"It's all right," Yana smiled lightly and took his arm again as they continued wandering; it would be so much easier if Yana lived a little closer to him.

Sakura dodged silently back into town and switched seamlessly into her alias henge of Rio and went to find the vendor for lunch; her chakra ends almost burning at the expenditure of more chakra she didn't have, though food and a little more rest would help her out. For what was supposed to be a short jaunt to get lunch she had a lot to tell Kakashi – they needed to get out of Iwa quickly and she just hoping Kakashi could hold on long enough to either allow her to perform another  _daikoudan_  on him or to get back to Konoha. When she'd examined him earlier, she hadn't told him, but the virus was still prevalent in him and his chakra was low: he was still at high risk and he was a man prone to pushing himself too far when couldn't afford to.

 

* * *

 

_"You'll have to do better than that, Itachi-san." Teruo mocked as he blocked an obvious strike, the two exchanged a few impeccably timed kicks and punches – each reading the other with a skill only a sharingan could have imparted. Still they exchanged little more than glancing blows, to a trained observer it would seem that they were doing little more than warming up for a fight proper._

_"Who will you go for first?"_

_"I wait until it's late enough that most will be asleep then use susanoo and a spread of arrows." Itachi replied._

_"Multiple targets at once? Smart plan, but then what?" The man dodged awkwardly, bending down and grabbing a kunai as he did so, charging it with a fraction of chakra before slashing at Itachi._

_"Genjutsus will hold off most of them for me." Itachi aimed a well placed kick towards his trainer's chest, forcing him backwards and slightly off balance, as he turned in the same fluid movement to drive his own kunai towards Teruo's neck._

_"You may be fighting Uchiha but you are still relying on their way of thinking, how many times have I told you?"_

_"Hai – Amaterasu will by my final move, I'll exhaust them with a clone first using my sharingan carefully, draw them away from the non-combants whilst I deal with them, before turning on the police members."_

_"Better." Their kunai clashed with the bite of steel on steel, "But some of them have the mangekyou and will use it swiftly, how will your clone deal with them? You can't waste too much chakra on the first fight – you will still have to flee the village and may have more fights soon after."_

_"Hai; I'll only use one clone… I'll work mostly with my katana."_

_"Ha! 'Work'? A good euphemism – I think the Uchiha could have bothered with some of it back when the village was being founded, they relied too much of their misguided monopoly in believe they had suffered the most," Teruo laughed as his fist connected with Itachi's side, forcing him to slide back a little; though Itachi was quick to recover, pulling out a kunai and returning with his distracting punch seconds later._

_"Will you be waiting here for me?" Itachi asked._

_"Ha-ha! No, my boy, as soon as I see a susanoo I'll be long gone,._

_"To where?"_

_"Why do you want to know? So you can track me down later?"_

_"No, but… I'll be sorry to lose your acquaintance."_

_"Ahahaha!" Teruo often laughed, Itachi noticed, but that last comment seemed to have tickled him more than usual, "What a fine thing for a mass murder to say! I have no ties and no love for this clan, Itachi, I will leave and sink into the shadows."_

_"But…"_

_"Iee, this is an excellent opportunity for me, I want nothing further to do with my clansmen." Teruo spoke with a quiet firmness,_

_"…Understood."_

_"So that's what to do about me, what of Fukagu and Mikoto? What of Sasuke? How will you deal with them?" The elder Uchiha didn't miss the narrowing of the younger's eyes,_

_"I'll deal with them last." Their spar came to an impromptu standstill._

_"Do not forget why you are doing this, Itachi, Konoha's hierarchy are wrong to ask this of you, but they are right to put a stop to the Uchiha's arrogance." The younger stood for a moment, his pitch black eyes simply observing the man in front of him: he was so like Shisui in his desires, but so like Teyaki in his manner – now lazy and having lost the lust for life and the desire to effect change. Perhaps, had Teruo not offended so many of his clansmen, then he too would have been reduced to selling senbei… instead of fishing from a stream to feed himself. Itachi lightly bowed his head._

_"Arigatou, Teruo-sama, for all that you have taught me…" Itachi spoke, sincerity fleshing each of his words, though Teruo only smirked._

_"Then as one last thing, Itachi, perhaps this will interest you." The elderly man raised his hands in a few seals and was momentarily blocked from Itachi's sight by plumes of smoke, it cleared swiftly and he was met with the image of a much younger man, no more than 30, Itachi guessed._ _"I had told you of my interest in Urushima Eiko – I would not have been so adamant had I been twice her age, had you not considered that?" Itachi blinked in surprise, frankly he hadn't given it so much thought – but it did make sense now Teruo mentioned it. Still his revelation provoked more questions that it could ever have answered._

_"But… how are you not still on active missions? I don't understand how you could have escaped from under the clan's notice whilst you were still so young."_

_"Hmm, there are many tricks to learn, Itachi, and our clan has, for so many generations, seen only what it chooses to. I leave the clan in your hands – perhaps you and I will be its last survivors. Be brave, Itachi, good can rise from any ashes."_

_"Hai."_

_"I will leave as soon as it starts to get dark, I won't be too far away, but if you complete this mission, you won't need my help any longer."_

_"Even so, how should I find you? If I need to speak to you again, or if…"_

_"Or if another survivor should last? Well, a Hatake might be able to tell you… if all of her research survives."_

_"I don't understand. Which research specifically? In what way will it–"_

_"Save that for when you need it – you have a mission to attend to, Itachi, deal with that first."_

_"Will you ever return to Konoha?" Itachi asked his final question, expecting the other Uchiha to dodge it as he seemed to do with all of his questions._

_"Hmm…I  don't dislike Konoha and it might be a far better place to live without any other Uchiha to annoy me. I will have to see how long civilians can entertain me and how long my curiosity about Uchiha Sasuke will abate over the years."_

_"Wh-what?"_

_"I know you won't kill him, it's too much to kill your little brother and I've no doubt you'll feel better if you think there is someone left to expunge the name…"_

_"Don't do anything to him! I want him to–"_

_"What? Grow under anyone's influence but your's? Ha! Very well, I'll leave him be until he's slaughtered you and found his peace; he'll be too stubborn to listen until he's done what he considers his 'mission' – all the damn Uchiha are like that, anyway… I can be patient and wait until he's mellowed out."_

_"Thank you. It's time, Teruo-sama."_

_"Good luck, Itachi; do not hesitate and strike with precision." Teruo's last words to him hung in the air as Itachi considered them for a moment, before nodding to the other and leaping away into the trees._

 

Sasuke was shaking so much he could barely focus on the last lines of text; another Uchiha lived and Sasuke would find him.

 

..

 

.

 

_A/n – you didn't think Teruo was a one-scene-wonder, did you? ^_~  
_

 

 


	41. Season 2: Swift Shadows And A Slow Sun

 

 

 

 

 

"Anything?" Tsunade asked as she saw Sasuke's mangekyou sharingan fade from his eyes and the Abbot slowly came back to himself, blinking a few times at the apparent discomfort of having been intruded upon,

"Plenty." Whilst it wasn't exactly what he was looking for, Sasuke had gained some valuable information – what Teruo looked like for a start, in both his forms, where he'd lived and the little mannerisms unique to him;

"Are you alright, Abbot?" Tsunade asked, handing him a cup of healing tea of her own recipe, he gratefully took hold and shifted himself in his seat slightly,

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama." He sipped at it gently, the memories of all the things Sasuke had pulled to the forefront of his mind took some time to digest, "Do you have what you need, Uchiha-san?"

"Yes, thank you Abbot," Sasuke replied, his mind drifting a little as he correlated all of the information with what he'd read in the notes with the manner and facial expressions of Teruo from the Abbot's memories – was it possible the old man had lived for this long and would keep to his word about finding him after the war settled? Had Teruo been lying? Would Teruo actually make contact with Sasuke, or would he just observe? Sasuke's life and deeds hadn't exactly been a secret, maybe Teruo had found out all he needed to know already and had seen no reason to attempt further contact… Sasuke had been back in Konoha for the better part of a year, shouldn't he have heard something by now?

"Uchiha-san, I sense you are not completely satisfied… what haven't you found that you were hoping for?" The Abbot asked, gently,

"N-not exactly, Teruo said he would find me once the Uchiha were out of the way. I can understand how my time as a missing nin and the Fourth War would have gotten in the way of that, but shouldn't I have heard from him by now if he was truthful to Itachi?"

"Hmm, Teruo-san didn't exactly promise to come and find you, he merely hinted that if he was back in Konoha he might look you up, but there was nothing that suggested he would go out of his way to meet with you." The Abbot's words weren't so much of a comfort.

"I suppose…"

"But if he is in Konoha, perhaps your talking to Kakashi-san might give him cause to approach you."

"That doesn't sound like quite enough to go on."

 

"There is a reason I had the vision now and not, say, when Kakashi-san and Sakura-san visited the Temple last year for Isaski-san's funeral; we had a discussion about you and I have been wondering about that. They were both very concerned about your future and it was disrupting the tranquillity of the temple – I would have thought that the presence of your closest friends would have been enough to provoke the memory to surface, but instead it happened many months later… perhaps there is a reason for this beyond what I can see. It's possible that only now has Teruo made a move." The Abbots words were as calm as ever and betrayed his own belief in what he was saying; Sasuke could only frown in disbelief,

  
"I…don't understand how that could be possible." His initial rebuttal was going to be,  _what kind of crap is that?_  But Naomi's voice rang in his mind, telling him to remember to always be tactful.

"There are a great many things in this world that we do not yet understand; I have been in meditation many times and yet nothing has ever come to me so strongly as Itachi's memory, nor had my mind been so emphatically drawn to anyone except you and two others… there has to be a reason for that."

"Two others? Who were they?" Tsunade asked,

"I'm not sure, they seemed deeply familiar to me and it was as if I knew them, but they looked to me strangers… they were sharing a first date in a strange place, but the warmth and ease between them suggested they had been together for a long while." The Abbot looked over to the Hokage, who frowned slightly, intuition stabbing at her.

"You're not sure where they were?"

"….No, only that I sensed as if I had met them personally before, but they were far away, in a desolate part of the world; a village with no trees,"

"Kakashi and Sakura." Tsunade murmured, mostly to herself, though the Abbot nodded,

"Yes! That is right! That is why their mannerisms seemed so familiar." He chuckled slightly, apparently pleased to have finally connected the dots,

"Well, I'm pleased to hear they're dedicated to their mission." She spoke sarcastically, whilst rolling their eyes,

"Do not be too hard on them, Godaime-sama," The Abbot smiled gently, "They bring each other a happiness rarely found in this world."

"Hai, hai," She grumbled, "But that happiness won't do them much good if they get attacked and she hasn't a cure to come home with," Before another word could be spoken a small, flustered looking bird zoomed in through the open window, before skidding to a halt on Tsunade's desk, knocking over an empty saké bottle as it did so.

"What the…" The small bird held up a leg to the irritated Hokage, revealing a note strung there; she untied it and read it quickly, "Kami-sama!" Tsunade shot to her feet, startling the small bird and the Abbot, both of whom flailed over, almost falling over, "I apologise, Yuoi-sama, but I have some urgent business to attend to, you are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you need to, until you are ready to return to the Temple, however, I must deal with this situation, please excuse me."

"Of course, Tsunade-sama, your village's needs come first."

"Thank you, Abbot; Sasuke you're due back to your teaching duties after lunch." Tsunade ordered as she strode across the room and was out the door before Sasuke could so much as reply with a 'Hai, Tsunade-sama,';

"Please tell me something, Uchiha-san, have you a wife?" The Abbot asked, rather unexpectedly and Sasuke only frowned,

"No."

"Any close relationships?"

"I… don't understand what you mean, Abbot." Sasuke replied somewhat tersely. The old man merely smiled, as if to himself.

"This life is nowhere near as long as you think it, unless you have no one to share it with; you carry a lot of hatred in you, it will be your downfall."

"I know." Sasuke spoke with a faux confidence, "I have learned that lesson already."

"Then why are you still so alone?"

"I'm not," Was Sasuke's instinctive rebuttal, though he suddenly felt as he did years ago – whenever Kakashi had told him to mind his friends and Sasuke had merely said the first thing that sprang to mind which defended himself and rebuffed the opinion of the other. Was he still so immature?

 

* * *

 

 

The old man leaned heavily on his stick as his eyes followed the younger man's movement; his gait was confident but held the undertone of a man unsure of what he should do next. This younger one had been the focus of the elder's attention for some time – and although he was fairly new to the town; Sasuke hadn't been hard to find, his manner and gait all betrayed how solitary and arrogant he still was, the man snorted to himself as he sipped at his sweet tea, the curse of the Uchiha had been defined as many things over the long years, but to Teruo, the curse was nothing more than one of self-indugence. He drained the last of his cup and rose shakily to his feet, the chronic overuse of his sharingan through the years had taken its toll on his body – he might have only be in his fifties but he felt about a hundred. He ambled away towards the vague direction of the old Uchiha compound, he was aware of the destruction of Konoha immediately prior to the Fourth War, but he'd hoped to find at least something of the old compound – or perhaps his old part of the Naka river.

He'd seen hide nor hair of Kakashi and for all his searching, he'd been unable to find Riika – he was aware that she'd moved to Konoha, but, like her grandson, she too could be surprisingly hard to find. The village looked remarkably like it had before he left – not physically – but the smiles of the civilians and shinobi wandering around, going about their business told him that there was a great deal of happiness within the Leaf; within the heart of Konoha, the will of fire still burned as strongly as ever.

As Teruo followed Sasuke, indirectly whilst their respective paths followed the same route for a short while, he saw that he wandered into the Academy building, Teruo frowned slightly to himself, though decided he'd investigate later; Sasuke would seek him out sooner or later, if he was really so determined. The village had been changed greatly during its reconstruction – apparently the current rules, aware of the space issues created by a village built several decades before the current population size could have been expected; still, the simplicity of most of the designs and traditional feel due to the heavily relied upon wooden construction meant that Konoha still seemed to be hidden within the leaves.

As he turned of down a side alley, his internal sense of direction guiding him, he found the alleyway and buildings either side of him extended for far further than they had done in the past and although there was no scar left upon the earth to tell him, Teruo knew that the remains of the old Uchiha complex – and dividing walls had been utterly destroyed; perhaps he, Sasuke and Kakashi's left eye were truly all that was left of the old clan.

 

* * *

 

 

Tsunade swept down the corridors as Shizune hurried along beside her, desperately trying to settle the wriggling Ton Ton in her arms and keep pace with the swift and determined Gondaime;

"Tsunade-sama, what's the hurry, what did the message say?"

"Go to the prison and have the guards ready Ashikino Peikou, for me to examine."

"Wh-what? Why, why now?"

"Just do it!" Tsunade half shouted before huffing a breath out, "Please, Shizune, I will explain it to you soon, but there is no time to waste and I have to re-read over Sakura's notes from Kumogakure regarding the virus; tell the guards to be ready, I'll be down within the hour."

"Of course, Tsunade-sama." Shizune spared one last, worrying glance towards her old shishou and hurried off down the corridor, dropping Ton Ton to run at her feet as she did so; Tsunade carried on to the records room, almost frightening the life out of the young clerk who was dozing off at his desk.

"Uh, ah, um… Hokage-sama–"

"Sleep on your own time, where are the records of Jounin Haruno Sakura from her mission to Kumogakure in the early spring of this year?"

"Oh, um, over here in the filing cabinet marked with the indexes 742.B; Godaime," He spoke as he jumped to his feet and hurried over to one of the many filling cabinets which dominated the room, he yanked open the second drawer down and rifled through the wads of folders, some, thinner than the width of a kunai handle whilst others were almost thicker than his handspan; his fingers seemed to spin for a few moments until he pulled the sizable file from between the others. Tsunade almost snatched it from between his hands,

"Go to my office, where you will find the Abbot Naidime waiting, please escort him to his rest room, number eight, on the second floor of the annex, ensure he is comfortable as ask if he will need anything before seven o'clock tomorrow morning, if he does, you'll be the one to provide it… then go and drink a cup of strong coffee – I'd better not catch you dozing off again or I will fire you, you're paid to work, not sleep."

"H-hai, Tsunade-sama." The young man grimaced – perhaps at his punishment or perhaps at having been caught in the first place, but nonetheless he hurried out of the door and left Tsunade alone to flick through the records; she took a seat at his desk and focused her mind to absorb as much of the information as possible. She had listened to Sakura about her final report on Kumogakure once she'd returned and had been in good enough health to detail her findings; her reports offered great detail upon the virus, it effects upon the person an the results produced in the cells, yet nothing in the works offered any potential for a resistance – neither had Sakura until she'd examined Riika and discovered a dormant sate to the virus. Tsunade wasn't happy that she still wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for, but after a good while of pouring over Sakura's notes: her chakra analysis, blood work, patient vitals, cell analysis and recovery times for the administered daikoudans and other anti-inflammatories.

 

Sakura wasn't so far off the ground work for beginning to test out anti-virus mixtures though she'd still been missing a few key measurements and tests – Tsunade hoped that examining Peikou might provide her with the key points of the missing information. The Hokage breathed a sharp sigh of the position she had to start with: she herself might not have been any further forward in her grasp of the virus or a potential cure than what her protégé had managed to find, but it was still a very long way off a viable antidote. She turned to another file and read up on the research collected on Iwa metabolisms, antibodies and immune systems, recalling on her own work and encounters as an active medic. Before too much time had passed, she returned the files to their folders and grabbed a few blank pieces of paper and a pen before hurrying out of the door and down towards the prison.

"Hokage-sama," The Captain of the guard greeted her stiffly, the plates of his ANBU armour chinking slightly as he stood to attention, "Shizune-san informed us of your intent to examine Ashikino Peikou, we would very much like to give him a chakra suppressant before you enter the cell."

"No, that won't be necessary," Tsunade waved her hand as she spoke, stepping past the ANBU who hurried to keep up with her as she strode down the rock corridor, "I need him without any chemicals or additives in his system."

"But, Tsunade-sama, he is very dangerous and has become rather unstable since being down here, I–"

"Unstable? In what way?"

"He was a very proud man and didn't take well to being imprisoned – he has spent a lot of time making empty, if rather impassioned threats against Konoha… we've had to restrain him several times to prevent him injuring himself against the bars." He spoke as Tsunade frowned a little,

"How long has this been going on? I've heard no reports of his ill health."

"No, Tsunade-sama, it's only been happening for about a week."

"But he's been imprisoned for months, why now? What's changed?"

"We aren't too sure, but the only significant change that has happened that he would be aware of was Kazuko being placed in the cell next to his."

"…Kazuko," Tsunade frowned as they rounded the last corner where the first of the cells was located; two other Jounin guards stood to attention as the Hokage approached them before relaxing again as she continued on. They marched further on through the cavernous prison before they came to a halt in front on the small cell; Peikou was lying on his side facing the back wall, away from them.

 

"Ashikino, wake up, the Hokage is here to see you," The ANBU guard ordered, though they received no indication that he cared or even heard them;

"Hokage-sama, what an honour!" A different, feminine voice called out, full of arrogant gumption, "I heard you're here to examine Pei-chan for the antidote to the virus."

"Kazuko, shut your mouth." The guard snapped, reaching for his katana, though Tsunade raised her hand to stop him, walking down to the next cell to address the enemy kuniochi, who was sat with her back to the wall which joined her cell to Peikou's, her legs crossed at the ankles and her posture was relaxed to that of a woman on her fourth drink at the Shushuya. Tsunade already disliked this kuniochi anyway and her current manner was doing nothing for the Hokage's patience,

"I was wondering how long it was going to take you to figure it out…"

"How much do you know about the virus?" Tsunade demanded, though Kazuko merely shrugged, apparently not feeling any more forthcoming,

"Oh, enough."

"Tell me."

"…"

"I can forcibly extract the information from you, if you do not want to tell me. I'm sure you've heard of, and had a chance to experience the…  _effectiveness_ of Ibiki," She threatened though the enemy merely shrugged, turning her head to examine the nuanced features of the back wall of her cell.

"It's not like he managed to extract the information on the virus the first time," She shrugged, Tsunade narrowed her eyes minutely,

"He wasn't looking for it, to think that a minor worker ant such as yourself would have  _any_ information on such important business as that of virus; only a master mind could have developed such a plan… and wouldn't have let  _you_ in on it," That seemed to get her attention as her head whipped around and she sat up a little, away from the wall;

" _I_  created that virus! I orchestrated the whole thing!"

"Whatever." Tsunade dismissed, stepping away again, back to Peikou's prison; "Please open the cell door, I will examine him," She nodded to the guard and he stepped forwards to unlock the cell, the two other guards stepping forwards at the same moment in case Ashikino suddenly decided to be belligerent; though he still made no move, even as Tsunade walked up to him – it now seemed obvious that nothing about him was moving, not even his chest. The closer the got, the better they could see over the hunch of his shoulder, a large pool of blood was revealed in front of him.

"What?" Tsunade exclaimed, rushing closer to his side, seeing that the blood, which had now coagulated, poured from his mouth and a large fleshy mess which rested on the ground beneath his chin indicated he must have bitten his tongue off. "How long ago was this man checked up on?"

"Less than an hour ago, Hokage-sama, he was sitting up and even ate something."

"Hmm," Tsunade still crouched over him and lowered her hands, one to rest on his back and chest; almost all of his metabolic activity had died, though Tsunade quickly searched for any sign of the virus and altered antibodies from what a typical Iwa shinobi might have. Unfortunately, the body had grown cold and all cell activity died as his body slowly began to succumb to rigor mortis and Tsunade could extract no more information from the corpse.

"Shit." She cursed,

"Oh, having a little trouble?" The condescending voice of Kazuko called out and it was enough to set Tsunade's teeth on edge, she'd had quiet enough of this kuniochi: having the audacity to infiltrate her village, to attack Riika and her beloved student, Sakura, and above all, to aid the distribution of such a virulent and destructive virus as this one. Tsunade shot to her feet and began barking orders,

"Have Ashikino's body take to the morgue and inform Shizune to begin conducting an autopsy as soon as possible; restrain Kazuko and take her to the intel department, have Ibiki sent to my office immediately." The Hokage was out of the cell and a few paces down the corridor before the ANBU had a chance to reply with his short,

"Hai, Tsunade-sama."

 

* * *

 

 

"So Chouji is near the border?" Kakashi asked,

"I'm sure we can find a means of contacting him, but I have a feeling it'll only draw more attention than necessary if we have to call him for help… I rather we didn't."

"Agreed, the best thing we can do is stay as low as we can… at least, as well as can be expected considering my condition."

"I'm sorry, Kakashi, but I'm not any closer to finding a cure for you." Sakura offered as she rubbed a hand over his bicep as he leaned against the edge of his hospital bed; he took a sip of water with his other hand.

"It's all right," He breathed, taking another quick sip before continuing, "I don't feel so bad, I think I could make it back to Konoha."

"As long as there's no conflict." She finished for him, stroking a hand down his left tricep, "Kakashi, I've never seen you this ill from an infection before and you're in no condition to be going anywhere – you know this… I can't risk it." Sakura whispered gently,

"We can't stay here, the longer we linger the more at risk we are, if we leave soon we might have a chance to slip out without too much confrontation."

"That's a lot more idealistic than I've come to expect from you, Kakashi," Sakura scolded as she walked back over to the chair she'd been essentially living in over the past three days and leant down to scoop up the numerous papers, "Just be patient for another twenty-four hours, if I've heard nothing from Tsunade-sama by that time and I've found nothing else in the records, we'll consider making a move."

"We'll have Hijikawa-hakase with us, I'm sure he's still capable of fighting if we need it." Kakashi offered, though even he wasn't sure who he intended to comfort by it.

"Medics aren't known for their combat expertise, but we'll discuss it with him; when he returns we'll have the opportunity to get a better idea of the climate in Iwa." She spoke, throwing another glance at the man still leaning on the edge of the bed, watching as he shakily tried to return the half full glass to his bedstand, which seemed just out of reach. "Please try and finish all of that glass, if you can, Kakashi," He sighed and steadied himself before drawing the glass back to himself.

"Pakkun seemed to heal a lot faster than this," He grumbled as she returned to his side, hating how ill he looked; she took the glass from him as he uneasily pulled himself up to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Yes, well he has a small body – one of my  _daikoudan no jutsu_  was enough to extract the virus from almost all his body in one go – unfortunately for you, you're a little bit bigger than he is and no amount of  _daikoudan's_  will be enough to extract the virus completely."

"Huh, we'll, this is the first time it seems that being 'big' has be a disadvantage to me," He responded dryly as Sakura only offered a playful roll of her eyes,

"Finish this." She handed him back the glass and readied her best 'doctor-voice', "We'll have plenty of time to discuss your 'size' back in the safety of Konoha."

"Ha, I guess I can hold off until then," He offered a rare smile, although tired, it was warming for Sakura to see whilst his mask hung loose around his neck; he haltingly downed the rest of the glass and handed it back to Sakura before he laid himself back down;

"Sakura…"

 

"I will cure you, Kakashi, you have nothing to worry about – do you really think I will you go so soon?" She asked whilst setting the glass on the side table before leaning down to kiss him. She stroked a hand down the side of his face as he opened his mouth to kiss her more deeply; just as their tongues intertwined, the sound of the door opened forced them apart. Sakura span around to find the face of one of the young nurses: her face the picture of shock.

"Wh-who are you?" She stood frozen in the doorway, as Sakura did next to Kakashi, who was still lying prostrate on the bed; the kuniochi took a step forwards but before any other move could be made, Hijikawa made a swift appearance behind the young nurse and she crumpled to the floor a moment later.

"Quick, help me." He whispered demanding, as he bent to lift the young woman's upper body off the floor; Sakura hurried over to lift her legs and close the door as they dragged her into the room.

"What the hell?" Sakura asked quietly,

"I'm sorry, I did everything I could think of to stop her without drawing attention to us, there were a lot of people in the corridor… If we're going to leave, we'll have to do it soon. Kakashi, how are you feeling?" He hurriedly explained before walking over to the shinobi lying on the bed (who'd replaced his mask before Sakura had even managed to straighten her back),

"Not so bad," He offered in reply as Hijikawa dropped a hand to his forehead,

"The virus is still prevalent in you, it could flare up at any time."

"Well, whilst I'm not feeling so bad, isn't it preferable that we move now?"

"Probably." Sakura reluctantly agreed. 

"Sorry, may I take the pillow? I feel bad enough as it is, striking one of my staff let alone the fact she's female…"

"Of course." Kakashi lifted his head and Hijikawa took the pillow to place it beneath the nurse's limp head, as she laid in the corner of the room;

"Did anyone see you or the nurse come down this corridor?" Sakura asked.

"No, I'm certain no one did… but it's getting riskier for you to stay here – I recommend we make a move tonight; if we leave at about midnight we should have a good few hours to get out of Iwa territory, then we can rest for a little while, whilst we're in the Land of Fire."

"All right, we will leave tonight." Sakura commanded, "But first, I need to know a little more about the climate in Iwa at the moment – how are the people feeling? Is there a high police patrol rate?"

"Ha, there are no police, but things are on edge here – we'll have to move swiftly and with good disguises, mostly the movement through the village dies at about twenty-one hundred hours, but there's no certainty."

"And then we have to decide what to do with that young woman there." Sakura countered, looking towards the still unconscious woman in the floor,

"Do you have any short-term memory cancelling jutsus?" Hijikawa asked,

"…I don't but I doubt she will have known who we are, if she's just a civilian."

"Perhaps, but I'd feel better if she remembered nothing."

"Me too, but needs must, Hijikawa-hakase, and I think I should reserve what chakra I have for what we might encounter during our escape. Are you still sure that you want to come with us?"

"Of course, absolutely!"

"Where do you want to go?"

 

"I'm not sure, but I suppose I'm aiming for a country that's always been shinobi-free… I can't go to any of the great nations – no one will accept a former Iwa nin and at least if the town has always been civilian then I won't feel like so much of a fraud."

"Fair enough… are there any further preparations that need to be made?"

"I'll organise what needs to be done from my end, I've already booked leave in which starts tomorrow so that it'll be a while before anyone notices I'm gone; I can also talk to the night shift – I might send clone out to call them all into the lounge for a brief or other about my absence."

"Be careful not to make it too obvious."

"It's all right – I haven't taken any leave in well over two years, so it should make enough sense that I'd be a little over-protective."

"Do you have a good enough reason as to why you'd suddenly be taking leave now, after so long?"

"Ah… um, how about my cousin's wife is having a baby as I wanted to go and see them?" He offered,

"Good enough; what time does the night shift take over?"

"At about 21:30,"

"Have you spoken to the day shift about your leaving?"

"They know about it."

"Have you made a speech in the same way you will tonight?"

"No."

"Send a clone to do so – it only has to be informal and take five minutes, but keep the key things as consistent as possible; in the mean time, gather whatever it is you want to take with you, I remind you it'll have to be little enough that you can carry and fight with it, if necessary, so pack light."

"Hai… I don't want to make too big a deal of my going on a two week holiday, though, won't that seem suspicious by itself?"

"Yes, but if for the day shift, you only want to say 'thank you' to the staff and maybe make some joke about how much you now trust them for you to finally take some leave, they should just take it as a joke – maybe play the same thing off with the night shift. No offence, but the dedicated old man approach works very well." Sakura suggested.

"Ha, I'll try not to take it personally." He offered with a begrudging half-smile.

"What good routes can we take through Iwa that will draw as little attention as possible? Are there any patrols or routes less used by civilians at night?"

"Well, it's a Thursday, so there shouldn't be too much movement late, we can take a side routes, it's more indirect but they're more for the convoys to use when the markets come into town. What are we going to do about disguises, you and I might have no trouble, but I'm not sure how well Kakashi will be able to use his chakra."

 

* * *

 

 

"Bye, Tsutomu," Naomi waved to her son as he ran into the academy building before she turned to Sasuke, who still stood at her side, "Ready for the day?"

"Hai, hopefully they'll focus enough to prepare for the exams next week…"

"Don't worry," She rubbed a hand over his back, "They'll listen to you, just make sure you have a suitably boring story to explain why you left so abruptly yesterday with an ANBU escort or they'll listen to nothing else."

"Good point," He glanced at her as she smiled amiably, "Well, I should get going; bye, Naomi," He offered before walking away, the image of her lying in his bed distracting him from seeing her normal, almost prim self;

"I'll see you soon, Sasuke;" He offered a short nod by means of a farewell and too wandered off into the now calmer looking academy building, Naomi turned on her heel and marched off towards her own work. She hadn't meant to spend the night at Sasuke's though for the fact she had, it went rather as she'd expected it to: more chaste than two monks discussing how many prayers they'd spoken that day. Sasuke was very unlike most men for the fact he seemed very detached from his sexuality – as if was some part of him he'd never explored or wanted to. She didn't doubt that it was in there somewhere, but for a man of his age and looks, she would have expected him to have approached her in that sense to a larger or smaller degree by now; she didn't mind too much, it was nice to have a friendship with someone without the looming question of sex knocking on the door with every meeting but it made Naomi wonder: was this the best she was ever going to get out of him, or would he just need a little more encouragement?

Her thoughts had engrossed her enough that when she turned the next corner of the street, she bumped into someone, almost knocking them both flat,

"Oh, I'm so sorr – Akohiko-san? Is that you?" She spoke hurried, before taking a closer look at the older man who seemed very familiar; his narrow, squinting eyes peered at her for a few minutes before a similar realisation dawned on his wrinkled face,

"Naomi-san! I'm very surprised to run into you here, how are you? And how many times have I told you to call me Noguchi." He smiled with that sae good nature she'd always known.

"Noguchi-san, I' very well thank you, Tsutomu and I have settled well into Konoha, what are you doing here? I'd though you were going to stay in Hamani."

"Yes, well, I was but life got very hard there, the convoys stopped coming and it was harder and harder for an old man like me to make any sort of a living, so I though I should take the chance and move somewhere more prosperous whilst I still have some strength in these bones." He smiled warmly as he leant on his short, gnarled staff – he was something of an anachronism, this man, but was kindly and had helped Naomi juggle her job and Tsutomu after the death of her partner.

"Well, I'm very pleased to see you again – and I'm sure Tsutomu would love to see you as well, would you like to have dinner with us tonight?"

"Oh that would be lovely, thank you."

"How about we meet in the teppinyaki restaurant? At half past five?"

"Wonderful! I will see you then." He smiled again and they parted ways – Naomi almost couldn't believe it, he couldn't be anything shy of sixty but had looked to be on his last legs when she'd seen him some years previously, he looked a little less like death warmed up now, but she had her doubts as to how he could have made the journey from Northern Fire down to Konoha – it was a challenge for her even when she had still been very fit due to Hiro's encouragement, but how could a man of his age who needed a cane have managed it without killing himself? She finally made it to work and put the questions from her mind.

 

"Morning, Naomi," Her co-worker called out from behind the counter,

"Hi, Kanna, how are you?"

"Pretty good, went out for a few drinks, shame you couldn't join us… so how was the  _boyfriend_  did he need some special attention?" She teased with a cheeky grin on her face,

"Oh he was fine," Naomi dismissed tying the apron around her waist and ducking behind the counter to begin clearing the protective, individual glass cases from over the cakes, "He wasn't really ill, but we had some dinner and a little saké."

"Hmm, not bad, anything else?"

"No, nothing happened." She shrugged,

"Oh come  _on_! You spend the night with that man and  _nothing happens_? What is he, a monk?"

"Ha! No, well, not that you'd know by looking at him," She rolled her eyes, "The timing's just… not right." Naomi didn't have the right answer but even if she did, she wasn't sure she wanted to share it with Kanna.

"What man in the history of the universe has had a woman in his apartment for the night, with booze and decided that the 'timing wasn't right'?" Kanna rebutted sarcastically, the hand not leaning on the counter jumping to her hip, successful telegraphing her disbelief.

"I don't know, all I can tell you is that nothing happened – I don't know what's going on with him but I'd rather not push and screw it up."

"Ugh, at this rate Tsutomu will be all grown up with a family of his own before Sasuke figures out what  _that bit_ of him is for."

"Kanna!" Naomi tried to scold, though couldn't quite quell her laughter fast enough and a small snort escaped her, "I think it's just because he's been out of Konoha for so long, maybe life as a missing nin is a lot less sociable than you like to think."

"Of please! Those missing nin probably like to use it pick up more women than they know what to do with." Kanna dismissed before the door opened again to reveal their third co-worker.

"Morning, ladies."

"Hi Shuuka."

"What are we talking about?"

"Sasuke  _still_  has yet to make a move on our dear Naomi, despite her spending the night with him."

"What? Wow, Naomi, I'm really impressed, keeping a man away from you even in his own apartment – that some serious skill." He grinned idiotically as he too pulled an apron around his waist after hanging up his jacket,

"Shuuka!"

"Hey, he's right, Naomi…"

"So what's wrong with him? Doesn't he like you?"

"I'm not too sure, he's opened up to Tsutomu and I a fair bit and I rarely see him out with others, I'm not sure if he's just shy or what."

"Well, don't let him string you along forever, Naomi, if he doesn't make a move or indicate his intentions one way or another inside two weeks, then just leave him – think of all the handsome men you're missing out on waiting for that sexless wonder." Shuuka offered as he stepped into the kitchen and began to organised his utensils before reaching down to switch on the oven.

"There's no need to be that harsh, Shuuka, just because there's no sex on the first date, doesn't mean it's never going to happen."

"Easy for you to say – how many second dates do you think I get?"

"Considering your attitude, I'm not surprised you don't get any!" She rebutted frowning to herself. Why were men so complicated?

 

* * *

 

 

"All set? How's your  _bunshin no jutsu_ , Kakashi?"

"Fine." He replied stiffly as he rested a hand on Sakura's shoulder, they hurried on as fast as Kakashi was able to manage; she'd performed a last _daikoudan_ on him before they'd left and forced him to drink as much as he could manage; Sakura was still worried about him and she'd been doing the best she could to ignore her own rising temperature and the weakness in her muscles. She was praying it was nothing more than a bit of exhaustion but a cruel little voice whispered that she'd finally run out of luck and the virus had caught up to her. Thankfully she'd called her summon, the little bird again and sent it to report to Tsunade that they were leaving Iwa and may need reinforcements. They'd left the hospital at just gone eleven thirty and Hijikawa was surprisingly swift on his feet, leading them at a brisk walk out of the hospital's back door and into the quiet side streets where the lamps hadn't been lit. Their footsteps were quiet by force of habit but Sakura could feel his hand bearing down harder on her shoulder the further they walked,

"Just hold on a bit longer, Kakashi, we'll rest for a little as soon as we're in the cover of the woods."

"I'm all right," He almost spat, for a man who'd spent his life perfecting his self sufficiency, it was a hard reality to face being so suddenly powerless; they hurried on as best they could, stopping every now and then to allow for nearby footsteps or voices to diminish back into the night. They were barely a few meters from the last turning which would lead them out of Iwagakure and into the relative safety of the forest, but three figures sudden appeared in front of them – Sakura's sense barely catching up with the movement and she hadn't time to reach for a kunai,

"Hijikawa-hakase, Haruno Sakura and Hatake Kakashi." The first of the three spoke, remaining still where he was,

"Gammai, what's the meaning of this?" Hijikawa barked as well as he could whilst keeping his voice to a whisper as Sakura's blood pressure shot up for how swiftly and effortlessly an enemy nin had seen through their disguise;

"You're planning on escaping with these two?"

"Like there's anything worth staying for here," The doctor rebutted and Gammai offered an agreeing sort of half nod,

"Still, these two would fetch us a valuable bounty."

"Have fun trying to explain how you captured them after you've spent so long pretending you're not shinobi." Hijikawa spat.

"Not bad, seems being around civilians hasn't dulled your mind too much."

"Um, excuse me, but we really don't have time for this." Sakura butted in, "Tell us your intentions then get out of our way."

"Whoa, whoa, sweetheart, what's the rush?" Gemmai raised his hands as if to slow her down and Sakura couldn't help her sharp spike in chakra, at least, in the bit which was connected to her infamous temper.

" _Nobody_  calls me 'sweetheart'," She spoke through her teeth before stepping away from Kakashi and walking right up to the three potential enemy nin, "Hijikawa, who are these idiots?"

"Old… friends of mine,"

"Well, what do you want?" She directed at them,

"Just wonderin' what's going on and why it's taken so long for you Leaf nin to come investigating."

"What do you mean?"

 

"The virus started out here, a lot of the citizens were very scared that they'd be next and many of them were," Gemmai explained, sort of, "We know you, particularly, were responsible for helping with the 'outbreak' in Kumogakure; it was only a matter of time before you traced things back here, especially since you captured Peikou."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"That virus cost us dearly – even after the war we had a chance at reclaiming something of our pride and shinobi skill but once Takarai and the others went off to create the virus and then left to try and destroy Uzushiogakure – we lost all control of our shinobi forces. The Lords no longer trusted us and took away almost all our rights."

"Why was it so important that they crush Uzushigakure?"

"Uzu nin are secretive and not to be trusted; many of our more…  _anxious_  shinobi felt they could not be left to become prevalent again."

"Arrogant, as usual." Sakura merely replied still uncertain where exactly this was going,

"Regardless, they left and have caused a lot of trouble… we're sick of all this and want it put to an end."

"So why haven't you approached Konoha directly?"

"Would they believe us?"

"You expect me to believe you moreso?" Sakura shot back and Gammai raised his eyebrows,

"It appears the great Copy Nin isn't up to full strength – can you really afford to risk ignoring us? I know Iwa and Konoha have never been on the best of terms, but this virus does not care about alliances. I can't say that I'm particularly fond of Konoha nin but I for one would prefer the honour in conducting our battles with kunai and jutsu, not with some virus that would kill us just as easily as it would you." He spoke emphatically and whilst Sakura inherently agreed with his point, there was little more unusual than a Rock shinobi attempting to make a mutually beneficial trade… in her experience.

"I'm going to need some proof," She began cautiously, "How do your propose we end this virus problem once and for all?"

"There is a kuniochi – she along with the others helped to create the virus, she was a medical ninja a long time ago, she can–"

"We have Kazuko in our prison, if that's the one you're talking about and what do you mean a medical ninja a long time ago? She can't be a day over twenty five."

"Twenty five? Ha! More like sixty! She's a cold and bitter kuniochi who wants only the great nations in ruins."

"She knew a lot about Konoha, had she been there before?"

"It's possible, as a younger kuniochi she left Iwa for several years – almost certainly she went to Konoha – her hatred of it had to come from somewhere."

"So how can you help us?" Sakura pushed, still suspicious of the man and his motives but she was now more concerned about the time it was eating – more time to be discovered, more time for Kakashi to lose his strength; but true to form, the Copy Nin never let a little thing like ill health stop him, he stepped forwards forcing himself to remain on his own two feet even though Sakura could clearly see how shaky he was,

"Explain everything you know about Kazuko immediately."

"Ah, Sharingan Kakashi, how nice to see you."

"Gammai-san," Hijikawa snapped and the younger seemed to bow to his authority,

"I don't know what hurt her, but she's been a real thorn for a long time – she has been in deep with Peikou and the other aides for a long time, twisting them to her will, she masterminded the idea and made the rest of Iwa suffer in the process – she also had the shinobi allow the Lords more interference." Gammai offered, his anger still clear even though it must have happened some time ago, "We will help you slip past the guards at the boundary of Iwa, as long as you kill Kazkuo the second you return to Konoha."

"That doesn't seem like a high price for allowing two enemy nin to escape Iwa." Kakashi rebutted though the other only snorted,

"If we were still a shinobi village I might agree, but we're hardly that any more, are we? As long as you send Kazuko's head back to us by carrier bird within a week, there'll be no trouble."

"Gammai, you cannot ask that!" Hijiawa interrupted,

"But she could ask for Iwagakure to be destroyed? She could ask for a virus capable of killing thousands to be unleashed upon the world? Her head on a platter is the  _minimum_  I could be asking for."

"If she really is responsible for this virus, then she will have vital information we need in creating a cure and vaccine for it, if we kill her too quickly, then the virus will speak unchecked and unchallenged – would you really rather that eventuality than keeping her alive, trapped in our prison, whilst we create an antidote?" Sakura did her best to reason with him, though her impatience was beginning to get the better of her – they needed to get back into Fire territory as quickly as humanly possible and every moment longer that they lingered here, even if Gammai's intentions to help them were genuine, doubled the stakes against their safe return home.

 

* * *

 

 

Tsunade sighed a deep breath out as she opened the door to her office, to say that the last few hours had been eventful was an understatement; Shizune was already busy with Peikou's autopsy and Kazuko was doubtlessly entranced by Inoichi's jutsu whilst the Hokage had a stern talk with the Captain of the guard about safeguarding prisoners. It was mostly out of her bad mood, though she did understand how impractical and illogical it would have been to sit watch over his every move day and night – especially since he had been ill-tempered, though by no means deranged in all his time spent as a captive. Still the ANBU had sharply vowed to keep a closer eye on the rest of the captives and Tsunade had left it at that, she'd stopped by Shizune to tell her to examine Kazuko as soon as she was done with Peikou's body before finally retiring to her office – it was barely beyond early evening, although already dark and she needed a few moments to herself.

As soon as she flopped down on her desk chair, her mind already turning to Sakura and Kakashi on their mission – was Kakashi all right? Had Sakura managed to find anything more on the virus? Had they faced any unexpected problems? Had Sakura been struck down with the virus herself? Tsunade wasn't sure, but as she reached for her nearby bottle of saké, pulling it away from the small stack of papers, she nearly jumped out of her skin as a small, scruffy bird flopped out in a ball of ruffled feathers and spluttering, cheeping pitifully. Tsunade would have flung it out the window were it not for the fact she recognised it as the same one who'd burst in earlier that day, from Sakura; she grabbed the tiny creature, nearly crushing it with her hand as her fear chewed at her sinews – had something happened? She almost ripped the note from its leg and read it in earnest:

 

_Hokage-sama,_

_Kakashi and I are leaving Iwa; I have found nothing further of use to me in their poorly kept medical journals and I fear for our ability to remain undercover so long as Kakashi is still ill. If it is true Ashikino holds an antivirus in his system then our best hope is in Konoha; we will be returning as soon as it is dark. I request back up to meet us as close to the Earth/Fire border as possible, despite Iwa seemingly little more than a civilian village at the moment, I still can't say for certain how true it is and with Kakashi in his current state we'd be no match for a fight._

_We will have a former medical shinobi with us by the name of Hijikawa; he says all he wants is to escape Iwa with us and he has been a great help to both Kakashi and I so far, I am inclined to help him in repayment of the debt in his efforts to keep us hidden. Please instruct any team you send to help us not to treat him too roughly, or with too much suspicion – considering the state of Iwa and his actions so far, he has earned my tentative trust._

_Sakura._

As Tsunade absorbed all of the information, her attention was suddenly distracted by a weak and pitiful chirp from the bird she was squeezing ever tighter in her clenched fist; abruptly she released her grip and the bird sagged onto the table, wheezing, its wings outstretched and its little legs sticking straight up in the air. She left it be as she dashed from her office to call the nearest clerk to have the quick reaction ANBU force to her office within ten minutes; she returned and began to prepare the orders she was to give the ANBU. She was damned if the both of them weren't going to make it back to Konoha alive.

 

..

 

.

 

 

 

 


	42. Season 2: The Stranger Who Came To Tea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a double update for today, since it's been so long since I last posted! Enjoy~!

 

 

 

 

Kakashi was vaguely aware he was awake before he'd opened his eye; he took in a deep, slow breath before his eye cracked open and it took him a moment or two to realise that he was in a very familiar hospital. He simply laid still for a little while, taking the opportunity to relax as he felt what state his body was in and much to his surprise, he felt a lot better than he had over the past week. There was no one else in the room and he pushed himself to a seated position, the blanket falling to his waist as he wondered how long they'd been back in Konoha and did his best to recall their leaving Iwa – they'd managed to make it beyond to border of Hidden Rock without any trouble and as soon as they were within the cover of woodland they'd stopped to rest which Kakashi had sorely needed; he'd noticed Sakura was getting a little shakier too and she looked to be too hot despite the biting night air.

Far quicker than Kakashi had dared hope for, an ANBU team had appeared at their sides and had taken charge of the situation; Sakura had briefed them with as much information as they needed and had, apparently, decided that with the light of the information from Gammai, it would be best if Hijikawa returned with them to Konoha, if only temporarily. He'd been reluctant to say the least, casting a few hesitant glances towards the formidable looking team of ANBU, but after assurances from both Sakura and the team Captain, he'd agreed and they'd continued on their journey.

Since he had only vaguely remembered arriving back in Konoha, he doubted that he'd offered any kind of debrief to Tsunade so used the time he had to himself to remember everything he could about his mission, from the time they'd left the forest of- _the scroll!_  His mind suddenly bolted back to the metal box and scroll therein, where were his clothes? He hadn't damaged his flak jacket so it shouldn't have been thrown away, he scrambled to his feet, halting slightly as the blood rushed to his head, it cleared after a moment and he stepped quickly down to the end of his bed and flicked open the latch on the locker; his flak jacket was sat on top but he didn't dare let out a breath until he fished out the scrolls and saw the the one in which he sealed in the Forest of Fire was still in tact.

"Kakashi, you must be feeling better," The voice of Tsunade nearly startled him as he kept his back to the door as he returned his jacket to the locker and slipped back into bed, pulling up the sheet to the bridge of his nose,

"Mostly." He conceded as Tsunade finally walked up to his bedside,

"Well, it's a good sign you're awake so soon, the ANBU team brought you back in late afternoon yesterday."

"How's Sakura?"

"She's awake too, and clearly suffering the effects of the virus but I performed a  _daikoudan no jutsu_  and she's recovering nicely, I think she had developed something of a resistance to it so she hasn't be suffering too badly, she should be back on her feet in a day or two."

"Lucky her." Kakashi responded half sarcastically, as Tsunade dropped a hand to his forehead,

"Yes, you're doing well, I think you can be released tomorrow; Riika's still in hospital but she's well on the mend, her ribs are still sensitive and as much as she has protested, if she took a fall it could kill her, so I'm going to keep her for another day or two,"

"Fair enough; how's Hijikawa?"

"Pretty well, he's not too happy about being in Konoha, but is cooperating well enough with us, it was interesting to hear about Kazuko, I'm still waiting for Ibiki's report."

"Did you take her there for questioning after we returned?"

"Actually no, I went in to examine Peikou and she started mouthing off, saying a few interesting things herself."

"Did you examine Peikou?"

"No, he bit off his own tongue before I'd gotten there, but I had Shizune perform an autopsy, I'm expecting her report any moment." Tsunade removed her hand from his forehead,

"That isn't good news."

"No, but we should be able to salvage something, Sakura, Shizune and I will work on an antidote over the next few weeks; good, Kakashi the virus is almost clear of your system, you can go home first thing tomorrow morning," The Copy Ninja let out a rather over exaggerated sigh, to which Tsunade wasn't exactly oblivious to,

"Fine, I'll drop in at some point after lunch and release you then,  _wait for me!"_  She scolded, "If you disappear before I get here, I'll have ANBU drag you back by your scruffy hair and I'll keep you another week, got it?"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Kakashi conceded, knowing that she would be as good as her word.

"And if you feel any worse than you do now, for god's sake say something, you know how rough this virus has been on you, I don't want it rearing it's ugly head and killing you… let alone what Sakura would do to you."

"Hai, I know."

"Get some sleep, Kakashi, I'll be back before you know it." She'd left him in peace and, almost to Kakashi's surprise, he had drifted off to sleep almost instantly and hadn't awoken until much later, when he found a young nurse stood by his bedside, setting a tray of food on his bedside table.

"Oh, I apologise if I woke you, Hatake-san; how are you feeling?"

"Ugn, what time is it?"

"About twelve-thirty, please eat as much as you can, Hatake-san, it will help you regain your strength." She spoke gently and bowed her head before turning to leave as Kakashi cast a sparing glance as the tray of 'food' she'd left him, sincerely doubting that it would make him feel anything short of death warmed up. Still, he'd gotten dressed and Tsunade had dismissed him, telling him  _not_  to see Sakura on his way out since he might be at risk of a recurrence of the virus and for the fact she had since fallen asleep and hadn't yet awoken, it was better that he didn't disturb her. He agreed, knowing Sakura was in the best possible hands under Tsunade's care and for the fact he was rather eager to go home, shower and eat something far more to his tastes.

He's stopped off only for a few groceries, which although realising he hadn't any money on him until he reached the till, but thankfully, the kindly old man who ran the store knew Kakashi well and had happily offered to take an IOU – apparently pleased to see Kakashi home from his latest mission safe and well. The Copy Nin had apologetically accepted, genuinely embarrassed at the fact he'd completely forgotten about the concept of monetary reimbursement for goods; still he'd promised to return tomorrow with the correct amount, though the shopkeeper had only laughed genially, telling him that one of Konoha's greatest heroes need not be so concerned with such trivial things, whenever he was passing by the shop again, it would be fine.

 

So Kakashi had eventually made it beyond the walls of Konoha and dropped into the clearing in front of his home, along with his bag of groceries, almost surprising himself at just how grateful he was to be back at home; he took just a moment to breath in the air of the trees despite the biting air of the quickening winter, it was a cool, fresh breeze that seemed to push him to step closer to his home instead of away from, though before he could so much as tense his muscles, he became aware of a presence watching him.

"Its generally considered impolite to sneak up on ninja." Kakashi calmly stated,

"And impossible, but you are hard man to find, when I eventually spotted you in the village I was forced to keep pace or lose you again." An elderly voice called out just as a man stepped, or rather, hobbled from the trees as Kakashi silently wondered to himself exactly how the weirdos always managed to find him.

"So why exactly are you trying to find me?"

"I will gladly explain that, but might we step inside? I would rather our conversation remained private and I am an old man, I would very much like to sit down." He spoke without a trace of deceit, though Kakashi still hesitated before nodding his head slightly.

"All right." He marched forwards and unlocked his front door, the elderly man slow to catch up, though as he stepped over the threshold, he seemed to take a deep breath in and look around, a strangely warm smile on his face,

"Seems you haven't changed it much."

"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked keenly, having slipped off his sandals and moved into the kitchen, the man did the same, taking an immediate seat on the nearest zabuton,

"I was a friend of your mother's, when we were children."

"Is that why you've come to see me?" Kakashi lit the kamado and set a pot of water to boil for tea.

"Partly," The old man watched until Kakashi had turned around and took a seat opposite him, the Copy Ninja took a small breath in evident of his intention to say something but the other was quicker, he blinked his eyes slowly and almost laughed as the younger had visibly tensed, obviously  _not_  expecting this wrinkly old man to have sharingan.

"My name is Uchiha Teruo."

"I… I don't understand, how have you remained hidden all this time? Why weren't you killed in the massacre?" 

"Itachi wasn't strong enough to kill me, but I had been looking for a way to leave the clan and Konoha for a long while; I helped him prepare and slipped away in the confusion."

"Why had you been looking to leave?" Kakashi asked, greedy for more information as the crimson of the sharingan faded from the elder's eyes,

"I had long lost my faith in the clan, they had grown bigoted, self-righteous and insular, a terrible combination for a clan with so much power; they had shunned me, but I could not leave without facing trouble and having to reveal the extent of my own powers which was far too risky."

"What do you mean?" Teruo smiled easily again and blinked for longer than what was normal before his eyes opened and were again bathed in crimson, this time, though, the three tomoe had been replaced by a complex shadow within the eye that Kakashi had never seen before;

"Mangekyou?"

"Exactly."

"The Uchiha didn't know about it? How is that possible?"

 

"The clan was blind and saw only what they wanted to-hmm." Teruo's eyes glanced to his left, directly at the wall as his sentence came to an abrupt end, "It seems you have another visitor and he is one I have no desire to talk to, though he will certain disrupt our conversation, Hatake-san, would you like to see the extend of my abilities?" Teruo asked with a sly smile as Kakashi heard the slap on feet on the hard ground outside and the voice of Sasuke asking for his attention.

"I will not allow you to hurt him."

"Haha! You couldn't do a thing to stop me, really, but I assure you, Hatake-san, I have no ill intent towards him, I would just rather he was turned away for now so that I can say all I need to you." Kakashi knitted his eyebrows ever so slightly at the Uchiha, "I assure you, the only thing that will befall that boy will a bit of mild confusion."

"Hmm," Kakashi still neglected to give him a direct answer, but Teruo took it as a green light well enough and so turned around on his zabuton, staring at the hallway just as the fusuma slid open and Sasuke popped his head around the door,

"Kakashi? What is–" The young Uchiha froze on the spot as soon as his eyes connected with Teruo's and for a moment Kakashi wasn't sure if it was because of the sharingan or because another Uchiha had been the last thing Sasuke must have expected to find in the Hatake's home. The youngest man, however didn't move for well over a minute before his back snapped straight and he turned on his heel to disappear around the corner of the doorway. Kakashi jumped to his feet to watch from the door as Sasuke moved robotically over to the tree line, apparently talking to himself.

"Huh, I suppose Kakashi isn't home,"

"What? What did you do to him?"

"Haha, my mangekyou affords me a lot of control over other people, he'll come back to himself when he's reached the destination I told him to go to, now, where were we?" Teruo ask mostly to himself as he turned to take his original seat, whilst Kakashi uneasily made them both tea, it not being lost on him how he could potentially be under Teruo's control at this particular moment in time.

 

* * *

 

"So what about Kazuko?" Tsunade asked to Ibiki who was stood with Inoichi in front of her desk, "Have you determined any more about her or claims?"

"Well, she does hold significant information about the virus and her memories do tell us of her releasing it in Uzushio as well as her working on the creation of the virus some time ago, it does appear that she must be very old – I surmise that she must have developed a technique similar to yours, Tsunade-sama."

"Hmm."

"In fact, he did seem to have a number of memories of you personally, some evidently from afar and others where you appeared to be in direct dialogue."

"What?" Tsunade sat up slightly, apparently caught off guard,

"Hai, I believe it was back during the third war, I wrote it all down as accurately as I could, Hokage-sama." He stepped forwards to hand the documents to her,

"Anything else unusual you found or think I need to know about?"

"No, everything is in that report."

"Excellent, dismissed, Ibiki," He bowed and left as Tsunade turned to Shizune who'd been standing quietly to her right, "Shizune, please go and check on Sakura, if she's feeling well enough, begin working on the virus, I'll be there as soon as I can."

 

"Hai, Tsunade-sama," She nodded and quickly left the room, striding down the corridor as her mind turned to the third war – one particular time had frightened the life out of a younger Shizune, they'd been cornered by enemy shinobi deep in Kusa territory, they were only in their team of four and had been on a mission to catch up with the platoons and sections further in, with the aim to provide medical support. They had just been ambushed by reconnaissance group of Iwa nin and had luckily managed to kill them all except one badly injured kuniochi; Tsunade had decided to heal her until she was well enough to talk, though she hadn't been too cooperative, something about her had Shizune one edge, her mannerisms and cold looks said more than the fact she had been captured by the enemy. The hatred ran deeper than that of two waring Lords directing their troops against each other.

She'd told them nothing useful and had dismissed even the most serious threats, the other nin had just claimed she was being stubborn and mostly ignored her, but the kuniochi had seemed to know the territory and looked around with a sense of purposefulness, as if she was looking for something specifically. Her behaviour had been a good deal fouler as soon as she'd been feeling better, but the hatred in the kuniochi was enough to scare the worms away from beneath her feet. That moment, in an alien forest listening to curses and venom being spat from the enemy kuniochi had stuck strongly in Shizune's mind; Kazuko looked immensely different now, but the mannerisms and habits had struck Shizune as rather familiar.

For once, though, she really hoped she was wrong.

 

"All right, what have you found out about Hijikawa? Can we trust him?"

"I believe so, he has answered all questions patiently and I have found nothing which made me suspicious in his memories,"

"Okay… so the only thing he wants is to be turned loose into the wilderness of the civilian world?"

"Essentially." Inoichi answered, at as much a loss as Tsunade was.

"Where to? Does he know?"

"I don't think he's too sure, but he suggested that he'd like to be as far from shinobi as possible - he might well head down to Tea Country which has always clung, stubbornly, to its refusal to train its own ninja. One of the last countries to do so, or not, as the case may be."

"A sound guess, Inoichi, but all the same I'd like him to be tracked over the first few days from when he leaves, just to be sure; have one of the Aburame clan report to me first thing in the morning."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Inoichi bowed and turned from the room.

 

* * *

 

It had taken almost all day to talk to Teruo and by the time Kakashi had eaten some dinner and climbed into bed, his head was spinning; Teruo's accounts of his childhood and the interference by the Uchiha clan of his mother had certainly fitted what he knew, but he was still eager to check as much of it as possible with Riika. Kakashi had been tempted several times to ask Teruo about the scroll he'd found but each time, something seemed to hold Kakashi back from doing so, some small doubt that gnawed at his bones as to whether the Uchiha was genuine and his words truthful: neither things were typical characteristics of Uchiha, when they had still been prolific.

But Teruo was a crafty individual and nothing Kakashi could hope to hide had managed to slip past him, thus far: he knew all about Riika, the White Fang and the fact Kakashi had only just moved back into his parent's home; before offering a sly reference to a certain kuniochi (which the Copy Nin had, for his own sanity as much as anything, chose to believe that it was a reference to Kazuko, rather than Sakura). It had seemed to come upon them far quicker than Kakashi had dared to think about before Teruo fixed him with a peculiar look,

"That scroll Eiko and I stole was very interesting," He began hintingly, "Although it had almost been the catalyst to end our friendship, when she and I had repaired enough of our association, some years later, she had me tell her more of what the scroll meant and we re-wrote it out together; I had already long lost the love of my clan and I didn't see it as a betrayal to them, but… through that scroll, Eiko learned a lot of the secrets of chakra which enabled her to create her chakra weapons." Kakashi chose only to listen, cocking his head in an irrepressible expression of curiosity, Teruo had merely smiled at this, in his own knowing way before continuing:

"I believe she'd even made a copy of it, with my help, some decades ago; that had been the last time we'd really spoken, unfortunately, though I still kept an eye on her."

"Did they knew she'd taken the scroll?"

"No, but they must have suspected for her insights into chakra analysis and manipulation to be so accurate when everyone else in the research department were still sat scratching their asses."

"What happened to that scroll she wrote?"

"I have no idea, as I said we had no real opportunities to speak after that and I had to hide in the shadows if I was to protect her, so what she did with the scroll, I am not certain; though I greatly suspect it is currently in your possession," Kakashi perhaps blinked a moment too soon for his response to seem utterly casual,

"Why would you think that?"

"She was a master a hide and seek, for you to be living again in her house I would have expected you to have discovered her secrets,"

"Indeed I have, but that is not to say that I am capable of deciphering them all."

"You possess a mangekyou sharingan, do you not? Why can't you read it?"

"I can read it, but it speaks only of the Uchiha eye and nothing of chakra in general."

"Oh? Ho ho ho, that is interesting," Teruo stroked a hand over his chin for a moment, looking carefully at Kakashi, "Since it was such secret business, we could never show another Uchiha, but even so it never occurred to us that different eyes might read different words… do you have the scroll? Can I see it?" He asked suddenly eagerly and Kakashi, perhaps caught in the moment as he was, had whipped the scroll from the front of his Jounin vest and unfurled it in front of the elderly Uchiha.

The mangekyou sharingan had flashed into his eyes in a moment and he seemed to devour the page greedily; they'd again begun a new thread of conversation which Kakashi had found himself more absorbed in, Teruo's interpretation of the scroll had indeed been radically different from the Hatake's. They'd talked for a long while after and the winter sun had completely vanished from the horizon by the time Teruo said his goodbyes and disappeared back off towards the village. Kakashi had climbed almost straight into bed and had slept in far later than was typical for him.

The day was sunny but cold as Kakashi found himself back in the old study, sorting through the old pages that belonged to his father; he guessed that he needed just to be back in the comforts of his home and things that were familiar to him after it had felt as if he'd been away for far longer than it had, in fact, been - especially whilst he digested the things Teruo had told him. As he stacked the papers into a neat pile, he lifted the next wad, which appeared to be a single piece folded many times, he opened it up to reveal that it was, in fact, the blueprints for the very house he was sat in. Had Sakumo drawn them up himself? They looked very official; he unfolded the extra edge to reveal a further blue print – one which, apparently – had not been brought to life.

 

It was a small and very traditional looking tea house; with only about six square feet in area on the inside, complete with little ground level drawers and even a sliding panel which sat beneath a tatami covering.  _Perhaps Sakumo had meant this to sit over the store as a cover?_  Was Kakashi's immediate thought and his next was that he had the sudden urge to build this tea house, exactly over the store; it might have just been the madness of the past month between Kazuko's attack on Riika, his learning that he carried the virus and the mission to Iwa, but he felt strongly the need to be in his home an this seemed like the perfect thing to occupy him. The schematic detailed everything from the measurements he'd need, the angles to cut, the type of dowling right down to the type of wood he should use and the Copy Nin almost jumped to his feet in eagerness.

He spent the next three days gathering his materials and digging out the area he'd need for the foundations, taking care not to disturb the entrance to the store, he was almost ready to begin the overall construction. Teruo's words and had been buzzing around his head and he'd still been trying to make sense of much of it; he was eager to speak to Riika and had gone to see her, asking her to visit him as soon as she was well enough so that they could talk in private. He wasn't entirely sure whether he was hoping her to completely corroborate Teruo's story, or whether it would be easier to accept that he had been lying, though to what end he wasn't sure. His demonstrations of power and his knowledge seemed far deeper than what anyone could realistically reproduce without actually having been there.

Still, he had spent all morning woking on cutting and carving out the main beams for the house (it had taken several hundred attempts, or so it felt, to perfect the sanding down to the right measurement) and as such, he must had looked a strange sight to Riika, who appeared in the small clearing with a bemused smile on her face.

"Afternoon, Kakashi," He was kneeled amongst piles of wooden beams and shavings, as well as a handful of Sakumo's tools that had been placed in storage in the house;

"Oh, Riika, you're here!" He rose quickly to his feet and dropped the sander back down onto the beam he'd been working on, "Sorry about the mess, how are you? All better?"

"It's all right, and perfectly, well, thank you; what are you working on?"

"Oh, I found some plans for a tea house that hadn't been built and I guess I felt like a project." He shrugged as Riika merely narrowed her eyes at him,

"That illness really must have done a number on you." She quirked an eyebrow as Kakashi laughed nervously, reaching up to scratch the back of his head,

"Ah, haha, well I guess it's felt like a long time since I've been back here,"

Riika took a moment to look over her grandson, who was dressed only in his navy shinobi under shirt and trousers (although he still had his ever present mask on, his haitai-ate was apparently indisposed with better things to do than sit atop Kakashi's forehead whilst he was about as far from battle as he could possibly be). She smiled to herself at just how much he suddenly looked like Sakumo - and how refreshing it was; since her emigration back to Konoha, things had been relaxed but with an undercurrent of tension which had Kakashi more on edge than he'd let on: the virus, for one. As a result the analytical and diligent instincts which he had gained from Eiko shone through clearly; Sakumo had been an excellent and hardworking shinobi, but he rarely shared Eiko's sense of urgency, especially when they were back home. It was refreshing for Riika to see Kakashi finally taking something of time off and dedicating his efforts to something other than ninja business.

 

"Well, I'm sorry to interrupt you, but how about some tea? The air's freezing."

"Of course." Kakashi immediately stepped away from his crafting and gestured for Riika to enter his home; they were sat at the kitchen table before long,

"How long have you been working on the house?"

"Only a couple of days, but its given me something to do."

"It's nice to see you take after Sakumo in something other than your looks."

"Ha, maybe; I'd never have though  _sanding_ could be so difficult."

"Hmm, you'll get the hang of it; was this house the reason you called me here?"

"No, actually, something far more interesting happened;" Kakashi quickly rose to his feet to gather the boiled kettle, two cups and his pot of tea-leaves, "An elderly man stopped me just as I reached home, yesterday, I was far too tired to deal with anyone but he was very persuasive." He paused again to set the tea to steep and hand Riika a cup,

"Who was he?" She asked, with polite interest and Kakashi made a point of meeting her gaze,

"He called himself Uchiha Teruo." That got her attention,

"Wh-what? What do you mean?" Riika spoke hurriedly and almost dropped her cup in the process, "How could it possibly..?"

"I don't know, but he told me many things - about his and Eiko's childhood, their stealing of a scroll from the Uchiha; his eyes held sharingan - mangekyou sharingan which were powerful enough to even fool Sasuke into leaving us alone."

"Kakashi…" Riika warned, apparently worried that her grandson had been swept up in the impossibility of it all.

"I know, it took me a long time to buy it and I'm not still sure I do, which is which is why I called you, I'm hoping you can either corroborate or dismiss the things he claimed." He explained hurriedly, pouring out the tea as Riika rubbed a hand over her mouth, still unconvinced,

"Well, I'll try, but I really don't like this, Kakashi, something about it stinks to high heaven."

"I agree, but there was too much that he said I couldn't immediately disprove."

"Like what?"

"Do you remember when you told me about that box Eiko had buried in the Forest of Fire? Right before I went on the mission to Iwa."

"Oh yes! did you find it?"

"I did and in it was this scroll," He jumped to his feet and hurried off to grab the scroll before returning in a moment, he unravelled the scroll on the table and turned it around before sliding it towards Riika, "As soon as I found it I read it, with my mangekyou sharingan and it struck me just how bizarre this scroll was, or rather, how  _impossible_ it was - the text is written so that only one with a sharingan can read it, but the handwriting is most definitely Eiko's." As he spoke Riika lifted the scroll up and squinted slightly at it.

 

"It makes no sense to my eyes, but I agree this is Eiko's handwriting."

"Teruo knew about this scroll and claimed this was essentially the cornerstone of Eiko's chakra research."

"What does it say to you?"

"A lot about chakra but only for a sharingan, Teruo claimed he read something quite different."

"Sounds convenient."

"Yes, but I had him tell me everything he read; he still might have been lying but it reflects a lot of what I have read of Eiko's notes."

"Might he have gotten into your mind and had you imagine things? Had you connect dots where there were none?"

"It's possible, he held an immense power in his eyes, but I feel certain that I would have noticed if he had attempted to place some kind of genjutsu on me, I spent a long time analysing the memories and looking through as many of Eiko's notes as I could stand to read at once and there are no gaps, no conflicting words and no contradictory evidence."

"Are you certain, Kakashi? I don't know who this joker is, but none of this sounds right." Riika took a slow sip of tea, "Tell me one of the stories he told you, about their childhood."

"…He said that when they told that scroll from the Uchiha, one which told them of eye techniques, they'd been about thirteen and had taken it whilst the other Uchiha were occupied; they carried it off to the quietest part of the central park that they could find before they read it. Eiko had been making fun of him for not knowing the words to many common justus. He said they'd been interrupted by you before they'd so much as read the first sentence as you called Eiko away, saying that there'd been news on her father."

Riika stared at Kakashi in silent astonishment: that memory had been forgotten even by her until it had been roused from the depths of her consciousness by the coma she'd been in, which she had definitely not told Kakashi about. She knew, also that Eiko would never have even dreamed of writing it down, not even decades after the event for fear some Uchiha or other might come across it and it by itself would have been enough to have her convicted - and more so punished - by them for breaking one of their most sacred tenants; for so fiercely had the lesson been impressed on Eiko, by both Riika and Izuru.

"No one was there, that day, I had made sure that no one was around for hundreds of meters; not a soul could have known about that except for Teruo, Eiko and I," They fell silent for a while as they drank their tea, "I need to meet with this man, I got to know Teruo well enough over the years, if it really was him, I'm sure I'd know. Where is he?"

"I don't know, but he mentioned that he had tried to find you too, I'm sure you'll see him soon enough."

"He knew about me?"

"He knew about a lot of things, that I'd only just moved back into this house, for instance."

"I need to talk to him soon; what if he had some connection to Kazuko? How else could she have known about where the chromatography paper was hidden? He may indeed be Teruo, somehow, but his intention may yet be ill."

They lapsed into another uneasy silence just as another presence alerted them.

"Kakashi?" Sasuke's voice again called, in an almost frustrating parody of three days before; the young Uchiha stepped beyond the threshold and spotted Kakashi immediately, "Kakashi, I have to talk to you."

"Hello, Sasuke-chan, how are you?" Riika greeted before Kakashi could open his mouth.

"Fine, Riika-san, but it is imperative I have to speak with Kakashi."

"We're a little busy ourselves, Sasuke, what exactly is so important?" Kakashi almost drawled, irritated by the interruption,

"Apparently some old man of the Uchiha clan was close with your mother, he trained Itachi right before the massacre." Sasuke wasn't exactly the king of surprises, but nothing he'd ever said in his life - ever - could have caught Kakashi more off guard.

"What?" Kakashi snapped, "What do you mean and how do you know it?" HIs voice and expression had been equally thunderous and had been enough to almost make Sasuke take a step back,

"I came into some knowledge that-"

"Sasuke, you explain it all properly,  _from the beginning_  or you don't bother at all, sit down and start from scratch." Riika interrupted in a sharp, but familiar manner, as was typical from her; the Uchiha hesitated but accepted her authority and moved to take a seat on the zabuton at the head of the table between them. He looked uneasily at their matching intent expressions before he started with the moment he's stepped into Tsunade's office and found the Abbot Yuoi sat in attendance.

 

* * *

 

"I still feel as is if we're no closer than we were a week ago." Tsunade spoke at last as she leaned back in her chair, rubbing her eyes wearily before looking over at the other two kuniochi in the room with her, Shizune barely moved from her position at a nearby bench, analysing samples, blood work, test tubes, vials and beakers of every sort at either elbow. The Hokage's gaze fell then to her younger assistant who'd fallen asleep in her chair and a pile of paperwork; Sakura had been pushing herself far too hard for one recovering from the very illness they were trying to find a cure for. She'd barely left the room, slept a handful of hours and ate less, both Tsunade and Shizune had nagged her about her health and would have forced her from the room altogether had they not needed her help; as soon as they'd made good enough headway to begin testing on patients, she would give Sakura a very long and very well earned period of leave.

"Tsunade-sama?"

"Hmm?"

"About Kazuko…did you remember her?"

"When?" Tsunade's tired voice answered in just about the most half-assed way possible,

"Back during the third war, we captured her on that aid mission - she eventually warmed to us, to you specifically."

"Oh, yes… so?"

"So, do you think that she went into medicine because of the things that happened during that war?"

"It's possible." Tsunade shrugged, still not sure what Shizune was getting at,

"Do you also think it's possible that when you met again and sort of made friends, she felt betrayed when she was revealed as an Iwa nin to us and we'd been forced to treat her as the enemy, that she felt as if you hadn't been genuine in your friendship?"

"…Shizune, is this your roundabout way of asking whether I am to blame for this virus?"

"No!" Shizune exclaimed, spinning around to face the Godaime, "What I mean, Hokage-sama, is that I've been wondering whether Kazuko might had made this virus to be something personal, but she must not have known about the Hyakogouno jutsu and the type of chakra it requires that you have and that you taught Sakura how to mould seems to be resistant to it." That got Tsunade's attention,

"Resistant? How?"

"Haven't you noticed that for all the time Sakura's been exposed to the virus, it's taken all this time for her to fall ill? And she isn't even that ill compared to some." Tsunade spared a glance at Sakura as she listened to Shizune's words, Tsunade  _had_  noticed, but she put it down to her protégé being both wise and well trained.

"What are you suggesting, Shizune?"

"This virus is exceptionally resilient, but no one's chakra has ever fallen victim to a viral infection - the cells and systems which support them, yes, but the chakra itself, never." Shizune began, "I noticed it a little while ago and began testing on cell which still held residual chakra in them." Tsunade bolted to her feet and was at Shizune's side in a moment,

"Do you really think we can work with this?"

"Its the most promising lead on anything showing a real resistance to the virus, the cells still succumb to the virus but with the presence of the chakra, it reduces the likelihood of cell death by almost sixty percent."

"Kami-sama! I really think you've got something Shizune, yes! Show me how you tested these samples against the others."

 

..

 

.

 

_A/n — You might have felt as if I skimped on detailing what Teruo and Kakashi spoke about, but all things will be explained (if they haven't already ^_~) soon enough!_


End file.
